


Two Days

by KeiC, theworldstoodstill



Category: A/Z, Aldnoah.Zero (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Anime, Comedy, Crack, Fanfiction, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Multi, OrangeBat, Original Character - Freeform, Romance, aldnoah.zero - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-17
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-03-30 22:53:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3954943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeiC/pseuds/KeiC, https://archiveofourown.org/users/theworldstoodstill/pseuds/theworldstoodstill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inaho takes the bat out of prison for Two Days and everything unexpected seemed to fall in its place.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Taste of Freedom

The morning sky held a hue of blue and white that made the boy twitch in disgust. He doesn't want to remember any of the past because it haunted him every night he spent in his small prison. The broad universe outside his window made his insides clamor.  
  
It's been a long time since he saw his beloved Princess.  
  
He stood up from his nasty, hard bed and washed his face on a water tub set aside his breakfast like usual. As he felt droplets on his hair, he looked down at his reflection. His hair grew longer and already went past his ears.  
  
_Murderer_.  
  
The more he looked at the water, the more he wanted to hide from it. Slaine went back to his bed as he practically lost his appetite.  
  
His head felt really heavy and his eyelids were closing on their own. The boy placed his right hand on his cheek. _I'm burning. Is it just me or do I have a fever?_ He breathed slowly.   
  
_Just where the hell is that guy_...  
  
\--  
  
"Sir, please watch your step." A lady in uniform guided him down the prison cell exclusive for the greatest brain behind the war that occurred between Vers and Earth. Though this is a given, the visiting man couldn't be bothered. He wanted to see him despite the schedules trying to get in his way. He was content that he has done all of his job so he took two days off.   
  
The lady unlocked the cell and Inaho raised his hand, signaling that it's his turn to take over. The lady nodded and asked the armored guards following them to move out of the prison with her. The brunet saw hesitation in the eyes of the guards but the lady insisted them to leave him be.  
  
_It's not as if they're not used to seeing me go down here_.   
  
He left a sigh outside the cell and stepped inside with his usual face.  
  
To his surprise, he saw the blond lying on his bed, not moving.   
  
Inaho closed the steel gate in hurry and moved towards Slaine with panic.  
  
He turned the boy around. He was unconscious.  
  
"Bat. Bat." Inaho shook the other's shoulder. "Hey, wake up."  
  
No response.  
  
Inaho sat down the bed and lifted the man up, holding on his shoulders. His cheeks accidentally brushed the blond's and on that instant, he felt Slaine's rising temperature. He decided to check on his pulse. It was normal but the beats were quite slow.  
  
"Oh for Earth's sake." The brunet sighed and laid the man down. "I never had the chance to visit you since two months ago and when I return, you go collapsing there." He said with a straight face. He was disappointed. "The personnel assigned here didn't even bother checking on you?" It's not like Inaho was expecting an answer but the silence reigning over the blond is what actually gave him the freedom to rant his thoughts.  
  
He once again, sighed. Inaho looked at the man's face. He looks younger than his age. Inaho can't help but smile in content because while he was away, Slaine has been obviously taking care of himself compared to when he first came down in prison about three years ago. His hair even grew longer, it was just two months ago when Inaho cut Slaine's hair. It was a sign that the blond had been taking in proper nutrients in his body.  
  
_Wait why am I even spacing out._  
  
_I should call a doctor._  
  
_Wait no-- or maybe..._  
  
The brunet stepped out of the cell to inform the nurse in charge to give Slaine first aid. The workers assigned here are easy to talk to and they follow his orders properly without even complaining. Inaho is very thankful for that.  
  
The nurse hurriedly called two guards at post and rushed inside the prison.  
  
Inaho walked out of the place to get proper cellphone reception signals and when he did, he immediately called his superior. "Good evening, Sir."  
  
"Ah, who is this? Oh, yes. How can I forget, the glorious man, Kaizuka Inaho."   
  
The brunet sat down the post guard's chair and relaxed himself. "Yes Sir, this is Kaizuka Inaho reporting. I have done my paper works and I've also set up reports in advance. I've been busy lately and now I'm visiting prisoner 20179605."  
  
"You mean, your greatest achievement?" He could hear the man chuckle. "Don't act so formal, you're not a _kataphrakt_."  
  
"I'm sorry, Sir." Inaho nodded like he does in work.   
  
"So what are the reports in our VIP mastermind over there?"   
  
"It seems he has gotten very ill."   
  
"Oh that is very bad. Even the most poisonous ivy withers, huh?"  
  
"Yes. They do."  
  
"Why did you call? To inform me about his illness? Is it that bad?"  
  
"No Sir. Not bad. It's just a bad fever. I just maybe thought that..." He stopped talking. The next part of his sentence would sound ridiculous.  
  
"You thought that..?"  
  
Inaho bit his lower lip and proceeded talking. "Maybe I could pull him out of prison for two days. I'll bring him with me in my apartme--"  
  
He heard a crashing sound from the other side of the phone.  
  
_This is bad. I shouldn't have asked. He must be in a rage..._  
  
It was then in the midst of his blank thoughts that he heard his superior laughing, almost out of breath.  
  
"Sir, what is going on?"  
  
The man was slamming the table, it seems like he took Inaho's sincere request as a joke. "You're an interesting boy!! Do whatever you want."  
  
The next thing took him by surprise. Is his superior crazy? Insane? Taking out a threat from prison might result to the world ending, can't he see that? Is he stupid?  
  
The boy threw a confused look but in his mind he thought he was convinced that the stupid man is him.  
  
The man on the phone continued. "You've captured this boy and if he does something reckless, I know you'll do it again. I don't know what you want with him by taking him out and I wouldn't want to know." He laughed once more but after that, his tone shifted from teasing to serious. "Though, there's one thing I'll tell you and I must remind you. I gave you permission but that's all I handed you. Take responsibility of him and his actions."  
  
Inaho held his breath. That sounded pretty big for his boss but it was true. "Yes, Sir. Thank you."  
  
He clicked the call end button and placed his phone on his pocket.  
  
He was not sure if it was his theoretical or emotional mind that planned this but either way maybe they'll agree on this as a way to make Slaine feel better from his illness.  
  
\--  
  
"Hey. where the hell are you taking me?!"Slaine threw himself in panic and exasperation as he didn't know what to do when the guards started pulling on his handcuffs and forcing him to move outside of his cell.  
  
He was nervous, he couldn't help it. What if this treatment is because of his actions a while ago? He didn't eat his breakfast and refused to take his medicine. Where were they going? They are taking him outside sure but, how far? His thoughts swirled and he sweated.  
  
He was cut off his pleasant dream where, Inaho was dead worried about his fever.  
  
_I never had the chance to visit you since two months ago and when I return, you go collapsing there_.  
  
His voice resonated in his brain. What if he won't see Inaho again?  
  
He shook his head, pulling away from the forcing guards. "No, please, I'm begging you. Don't take me away from here!"  
  
But they did as they were told: the usual cold treatment to a prisoner. The guards went behind him and pushed him towards the opening of the prison.   
  
Slaine didnt have the power to resist since he skipped his meal for the whole day but he kept fighting back. Losing sight of his Princess was enough. If that happens again to the only person making him feel alive right now he will certainly...  
  
The lady holding Slaine's jail keys halted. After a few seconds of registering the scene in his pupils, his mind went blank. Inaho stood there outside, resting his back on the door of his shiny, black car.   
  
"O-Orange..?" His mouth opened in shock. He haven't had a glimpse of the man for almost two months.  
  
Inaho nodded towards him. It wasn't for Slaine though. It was meant to be an order for the guards to stop acting harsh and just calm down.  
  
The keys' metallic sound made Slaine's ears deaf. He twitched and looked at the lady clanging it. "We'll take charge of the prison while you're away. Have fun." She smiled at him.  
  
The blond blinked. He didn't know how to react to this.   
  
_Have fun?_  
  
_What?_  
  
Inaho approached them and the three escorts stepped away from the two.  
  
"Thank you for your kind cooperation. Please tell the nurse I owe him a lot too."Inaho smiled at them. It was a genuine one, Slaine noticed.  
  
The three were dumbfounded. They couldn't help but panic, nod, and scatter their voices in a messed up chorus of 'yes sirs'.  
  
When they walked back to the prison gates, Slaine just stood there with no idea as to what is happening. He managed to sort it out though. "Wait, am I free?" He gasped.  
  
"No, dumbass." The brunet blankly stared at him. "No way that's happening."  
  
Inaho looked at him as his eyes turned from eager to disappointed. It was funny to see him like that but at the same time, a pang of pain echoed within him.  
  
He knew Slaine can never be truly free. This is the most he could do for him.  
  
"Then why am I outside?" He grabbed his shoulders and started to shiver. "It's really cold here too."  
  
Inaho took off his suit and placed it on the other's shoulders.   
  
The blond looked at him, his eyebrows arched. "What the hell?" And looked away.  
  
_Cute_ , the brunet thought.  
  
"Now shut up, and let's go." He ordered Slaine and opened the car's door for him. After a moment of hesitation, the blue eyed man went in and Inaho followed and hopped on the driver's seat.  
  
Slaine stared at him. "Where are we goin--"  
  
Inaho cut him off that instant. "To my apartment."  
  
The brunet could see the other's aqua orbs widen. It was beautiful. It reminded him of the sea. He smiled and started the engine on.  
  
\--  
  
Silence dominated the two men as the noise of the car went kicking in. Inaho couldn't be bothered to talk but he noticed the side glances the blond has been throwing at him like knives. It was as if he wanted to start a conversation but simply cannot because of the unwilling air surrounding the eye-patched man.  
  
Inaho sighed out loud to grab the other's attention.  
  
"What is it?" Slaine looked at him with surprise evident in his face.  
  
"I give up. Go ask." The brunet ordered.  
  
"Ask about what?"  
  
"About what you want to know, _obviously_."   
  
It was quite an answer even Inaho didn't expect. It was sarcastic. He wanted to apologize because it might have sounded rude but anyway, his comrade started with his questions so he assumed it was alright.  
  
"How did you manage to talk your way out of the guards? Did you have to bribe your superiors? How did I get out of there?" Slaine paused at every question to contain himself.  
  
Inaho was taken aback by the other's eagerness. For a bat, he was probably the most curious one.  
  
"I won't answer them if you don't ask one by one." The car stopped slowly as the brunet looked up at the street lights.  
  
Slaine did the same. "I'm sorry. Am I too nosy? I understand that there are things you can't simply tell me."  
  
As time passed, Inaho realized that he started to, unconsciously, become vulnerable to this man beside him. To him, it was an unknown situation because he was never one to trust others but he was sure he could find answers if he stayed with Slaine longer.  
  
"I didn't have to bribe anyone. Unlike the others, my boss is kind-hearted as well as the people working in your prison." Inaho started the engine once more and let the noise go between them.  
  
"That woman." The brunet took his steering wheel to the left and continued driving forward. "Her name is Claire."  
  
The person Inaho is talking about; it took Slaine a while to register in his brain. The brunet never starts up a conversation using another person's identity. "Ah, yes. That lady in charge of my jail keys?"  
  
"Yeah. She helped me out a lot."  
  
The blond blinked, having a hard time to comprehend why would Inaho be so particular with a person. It was a fresh thought for him. "Do you like her?"  
  
The panorama changed from snowy to a green one. It looks like the eye-patched man's place has more distance than he expected it to be. Slaine wanted to get his mind out of the topic. It was silent so he thought he won but...  
  
"Yeah I like her." Inaho said, focusing on the bumpy farm road. "Don't you?"  
  
The blond wanted to punch him.  
  
_How is he so insensitive..?_  
  
"Y-Yeah, I do too..." He managed to say with an awkward tone. He thought it might be better to respond than leave the brunet hanging.  
  
_You could marry her all you want for all I care._  
  
"You should thank her when we return. If she didn't convince the guards, which who were the ones greatly against this idea, you wouldn't be sitting next to me right now. Thank Claire properly."  
  
_Oh._  
  
_What the hell did I even think about._  
  
"I will. I'm sorry."  
  
"Why are you apologizing?"  
  
"N-Nothing, really."  
  
Inaho looked at him for a short moment and nodded. He wanted the conversation to continue but he doesn't know how to. He was not good at people to begin with.  
  
"So, aren't you hungry?"  
  
He sounded lame, very lame, and he knows. But the knowledge that this man beside him never touched his prison food for the whole day overwhelmed him. Is this how his sister, Yuki, will react if he refused to eat the whole day? His sister tends to lecture him a lot when he skips drinking milk in the morning. Is this what he is feeling?  
  
_Is he concerned?_  
  
As the brunet side glanced to the blond, he observed that he was surprised because it seems that he had also forgot about his empty stomach.  
  
"Why don't I get something to cook and something for you to eat on our way to my apartment?"  
  
Slaine was happy that the other was sincerely concerned about him. "Thank you..." He whispered as his azure orbs smiled.  
  
They were both quiet after that. It took them 30 more minutes on the road to reach the grocery near Inaho's place. Slaine had fallen asleep, his head was hanging in front of him. It was the way a prisoner or a slave would sleep when they are sitting down. Even so, this man looked so peaceful. Inaho didn't wish to disturb him but he has to.  
  
"Troyard, wake up." That instant, the other's eyes flew open and focused on his.  
  
Calling his last name really works, huh?  
  
"I must remind you that you are not, by any means, free to do what you want while I'm away. Stay in this car and do not, in any circumstances, go out of here. Do you understand?"  
  
Slaine grew nervous of the other man's tone of voicing instructions out. He wasn't able to respond so Inaho repeated his question, louder this time.  
  
"Do you understand?"  
  
The blond jumped and immediately responded, "Yes, Sir!"  
  
Inaho relaxed his stern expression and curved his lips to a smile. "Good." He cupped his hands on Slaine's cheeks and kissed his forehead.  
  
The blond looked at him with exasperation, evident tint of red on his face and ears.   
  
He wasn't expecting that.  
  
Inaho stepped out of the car and locked it from the outside. Though he knew that it could be opened on the inside, he didn't bother thinking about it because he trusts Slaine...  
  
_completely_.  
  
\--  
  
The man left alone was surprised with what the other did. Was he serious about that or he was just teasing the blond? He gently lifted his head and bumped it intentionally on the window at his left. He shouldn't overthink about things because he knows it will be bad for him.  
  
He closed his eyes once more. He won't disappoint Inaho especially after all that kindness the staff and his superior handed him. Slaine thought that maybe the other trusted him completely.  
  
_Wait is Orange stupid?_  
  
_We were enemies. I shot him. I am the reason why his eye is dysfunctional._  
  
_And yet he saved me._  
  
Slaine didn't want to think that Inaho is just doing everything because the Princess asked him to. But if so...  
  
_Tap. Tap._  
  
His eyes opened with shock. _What was that?_  
  
He turned his full attention on the window and saw a child tapping on the steel car door.  
  
Slaine could see the child talking outside but he can't hear the words clearly from the inside. The kid's face was covered by the hood of the jacket so he can't figure out what's happening.  
  
The tapping turned into knocking, louder and louder as if the child outside was desperate. Slaine wanted to ignore the occurrence.   
  
Stay in this car and do not, in any circumstances, go out of here.  
  
He held his breath, wishing the kid to stop. He closed his eyes once again, sweat breaking out of his palms as he held them into fists.  
  
_Just stop already._  
  
_Leave me alone._  
  
A loud thud that he heard next made Slaine's heartbeat halt. He wanted to maintain his eyes shut but when he heard a scream, he hurriedly lifted them. When he did, he saw the kid knocking on the car door being dragged by three large muscled men. Their built were not like the guards in the prison but these people were strong enough to make Slaine's unwavering will, panic.  
  
_Stay in this car._  
  
_Do not, in any circumstances, go out of here._  
  
The blond bit his lip.  
  
_Do you understand?_  
  
The child shrieked, "Help!" It was an audible voice of a girl's.   
  
Slaine breathed heavily. "I'm sorry...." He shut his eyes, still holding his fists.  
  
He unlocked the inside of the car, opened the door, and ran to the alley farther than the open parking lot.  
  
"I'm so so sorry, Inaho." Slaine cursed himself while running. To him, there was no backing out now. He followed the voice of the girl that seemed to go farther inside the alley.  
  
He saw three silhouettes screaming and pointing at the girl. "This brat is nothing but trouble to us!" "She doesn't even have a purpose anymore!" "Let's just wait until she grows up so she can become our sex slave." They all laughed and spat at the girl. Slaine could hear her cries of agony.  
  
He stopped running. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Slaine glared at them like an animal that was set free to be wild.  
  
"Oh." One man approached him. Despite the darkness of the alley, he could still figure that the man was way taller than him and huskier.   
  
He doesn't stand a single chance however, he didn't falter.  
  
_This is the only thing I'm good at._  
  
"Leave her alone." He growled.  
  
The other two started to approach him too. They encircled him.  
  
"Wait you look familiar." They all looked at each other. "I can't remember from where though.""Dumbass!" They chuckled and stepped on the girl's hair as she helplessly laid down the ground. Her head was bleeding.  
  
"Don't ignore me!!!" Slaine screamed.  
  
They all fell silent and the mood turned serious.  
  
"We got a fierce one over here, I see." One man pinned him on the wall but he was able to counter it. The next man gave him a punch on the stomach. Slaine wasn't able to dodge it. He felt his knees on the ground.  
  
He desperately focused at the girl and whispered, "Go, run. Run away. Please."  
  
The girl looked at him for a moment, turning her head as if saying no.   
  
Slaine shot her an angered glare. "GO."  
  
That instant, she jolted and she ran away.  
  
"Hey, the girl!" One of them started to panic. "Don't let her get away!" Two of them rushed at her as she fled, leaving one of them with Slaine.  
  
He kicked Slaine's stomach more until blood spurted out from his mouth.  
  
"Oh, now I remember." He lifted Slaine by holding on his neck. "You were the one who flashily said that you'll dictate earth, right?" He laughed. "Why are you still alive?"  
  
Slaine smirked at him and tried to respond even with a muffled voice. "I have no idea too, by the way."  
  
\--  
  
Stepping in the store, the girl over the counter stared at the eye-patched man. Inaho could feel her gaze following him as he walked to pick up the items he need. The brunet took random basic ingredients in his basket because he wasn't sure what His comrade would prefer to eat. It was the first time he took someone out in his own home so he wanted to be cautious.   
  
Inaho approached the lady in charge of the counter after. "Excuse me, do you have any cook books available?" Inaho asked, trying to search the shelves behind the girl. It took her quite a while to respond though.  
  
"Ah, yes. We have some here." She nervously sat down a chair and grabbed magazines under the cashier. "These are monthly fashion issues but they have a cooking portion here..." She opened the section she was talking about.  
  
Inaho stared at the pages she held. "Alright I'll take those along with these." He placed the basket on the counter and helped the lady sort them out as she scanned them one by one.  
  
The brunet stared at the counter girl as she placed the items on a grocery bag. She paused and looked at Inaho, her face red.  
  
_What's her problem?_  
  
She has the same reaction with Slaine when he kissed him just a while ago.  
  
He frowned and sighed.  
  
_I don't understand them._  
  
"Are you alright?" Inaho managed to ask despite him being uninterested.  
  
She gasped and looked down back to the groceries and finished packing them. "That would be 3,784 yen, Sir."  
  
"Right." Inaho took out a gold card. This was given to him after he sent Slaine into prison. He never payed for anything and just swapped this on the card readers of the stores he visit. It was his reward. The brunet couldn't care nonetheless. Material things never bothered him anyway.  
  
He finished the deal, carried the bag, and walked out of the store.   
  
Inaho stepped towards the parking lot. He looked at the sky. It was already dark. Deciding on what to buy took him longer than he expected. He could safely say now that he is worried about Slaine because he took too long. The brunet lifted his right arm carrying the groceries and managed to glance at his wrist watch. It was 7:00 pm.  
  
He hurriedly walked towards the second parking block and approached his armored car.   
  
One of the doors were open. Brown orbs wide in shock, he felt his breathing grow heavy.  
  
Slaine wasn't there.  
  
The car was empty.  
  
The brunet rushed towards the back of the car, threw the groceries in it, and shut it as hard as he could. He must admit, he raged on the door to compose himself. It was for his good anyway so he didn't bother startling the people present in the parking area.  
  
He breathe in and inspected the exterior of the car if there was a sign of Slaine being forced to go out while he was away.  
  
There was nothing though.  
  
Inaho glanced on the locks of the car's insides. He can't help but raise a hand over his left eye and close his eyes. The headaches are normal but they hurt more when he's feeling a lot of stress.  
  
Slaine unlocked the doors voluntarily.  
  
_Why would he do this?_  
  
Inaho felt slightly betrayed but right now it seems like it didn't matter.  
  
His priority was to find the bat that flied away despite his chains.  
  
\--  
  
The brunet monitored the area. The second block parking didn't have any openings or small roads connected to it so he decided to walk further. After a few minutes, he reached the fifth block which looks quite abandoned. He was desperate to find Slaine at this point. Never mind his superior going Satan over him but he'll take any earful just to make sure Slaine is completely safe and unharmed.  
  
His heels echoed around the empty space. It was then that he realized that he wasn't alone. Someone was following him.  
  
He took a step, and it doubled.  
  
Once and twice more, it doubled every phase.  
  
Inaho grabbed his gun and rapidly turned around to point his weapon to whoever that is.  
  
Expectations deceived him; it was just a small child.  
  
The brunet sighed and dumbly stared at the girl. "What are you doing here?"  
  
She held a scared look on her face while she took a step back. Inaho saw that her forehead has been bleeding but it already dried up. He approached her but with every step he took, the child took a step back.  
  
Inaho insisted on approaching her with a frown on his face. The child gave up and sat on the floor. She looked very frightened and she started crying. "I'm so sorry!!!" She covered her ears and buried her face on her knees. "I'll be good, I promise! Please don't hurt me!"   
  
The brunet stopped walking. He didn't know what to do next. He made her cry.  
  
"I..."   
  
The girl looked at Inaho as if expecting something from him. When she didn't get a proper response from the other man she went back to bury her face on her knees. "Please, do whatever you want with me. Just please, save him." Her voice was dry and hoarse and it seemed like she was crying the whole day.  
  
"Save who..?" Inaho held his breath. His instincts never betrayed him.  
  
"That kind person who saved me..." She started crying again, it was louder than before. "H-He let me escape when the people I ran away from came to get me." The child found it hard to talk in the midst of her crying and sniffling but she did.  
  
"Where did they go?" Inaho kept his distance from the girl.  
  
"They're in the seventh block... That place is dangerous!" She looked up at him, wiping her tears off.  
  
"What does this person look like?" If it wasn't Slaine then, rude for him to say but, he would be wasting his time.  
  
"H-He had beautiful blue green eyes and--"   
  
That instant, Inaho ran towards the exit of the fifth block. He paused right there though. "Kid, stay here and hide. I'll pick you up once I get your savior back." He turned around and nodded to the girl.  
  
Her green eyes sparkled as she stood up from the ground to smile at him.  
  
The brunet felt nostalgia as he saw her green orbs.   
  
He closed his eyes and smiled from the distant pleasing memory. He looked up the dark alley and started to run.  
  
\--  
  
Inaho panted. When he reached the seventh block, he was out of breath. He couldn't find Slaine anywhere. "Bat!" He loudened his voice furiously. It echoed all across the place.   
  
The man was already desperate.   
  
He walked more and heard a thud.   
  
It surprised him but he didn't let it waver his will.  
  
The brunet had to be careful. He observed the surroundings first.  
  
"O-Orange." He heard a whisper, a few steps behind him.  
  
He turned around by instinct. He knew that voice well.  
  
"Troyard..." Inaho was able to picture out the man's current state even if it was dark. He was holding on his stomach and it was as if his life depended on the cracked cement wall he was trying so hard to grasp.  
  
The brunet opened his mouth in shock.  
  
There was something dripping on the ground. It was flowing from Slaine's stomach up until his feet.   
  
It was a familiar piercing scent. The scent of blood.  
  
"Slaine!" Inaho rushed towards him. He gently moved away the blond's shoulder that leaned on the wall into his arms. "What happened to you?" He tried to compose himself.  
  
The other simply chuckled. "Can you save the lecture later?" He coughed loudly. Blood streamed out of his mouth at the same time.  
  
"Slaine!" Inaho gripped his arms tighter around Slaine. It seems he will pass out any moment. "Bat, stay with me." The brunet looked at him, his tone almost pleading.  
  
"I feel cold." Slaine coughed some more. "I want to rest."  
  
Inaho inhaled the rusty scent of blood gushing out of the other. It was too strong not to notice. "You'll be fine, Bat. Just keep your eyes open." It was a selfish personal request from Inaho. He didn't want to see the other unconscious. More precisely, he didn't want Slaine to do so because if he passed out, it will be because of his irresponsibility. Inaho wouldn't be able to handle even the slightest thought of this scenario being his fault.  
  
He had to do something.  
  
"Inaho..." Slaine gripped his hand on the other's shirt. It was wet with the red fluid.  
  
The brunet laid him down the concrete floor. It was dark and he had no resources to use to apply first aid on the blond's obvious deep wound. "It's alright, Slaine. You'll be fine. Keep your focus on me." Even though he said that, Inaho knew that the other man was already too weak to even listen to his words.  
  
Slaine nodded though, much to his surprise. This man won't be a formidable enemy to him if he wasn't this strong and resilient, Inaho realized that it was just a simple wound. He also thought that maybe, Slaine already encountered something deeper than this cut he obtained as of the moment. A deep cut that won't heal anymore, probably.  
  
The eye-patched man let his misguided thoughts take a lead on him but after a few seconds, he composed himself and stayed back on track.  
  
_I should call someone to help._  
  
_..Claire?_  
  
_No that's too far. It'll take a long time for the staff to go here._  
  
_Even if they did, Slaine won't last that long._  
  
Inaho glanced at the other man. He had his eyes closed. He wasn't unconscious. The brunet assumed that maybe, it's Slaine's way to take his attention away from the pain.  
  
_Who should I call?_  
  
The brunet's breathing started to get ragged. He believed he wasn't nervous. He was the complete and utter image of worry right now. It was until then that he realized that he was forgetting someone very dear to him.  
  
Inaho hurriedly took his phone out of his pocket and dialed a well memorized number. "Yuki..." He smiled slightly.


	2. A New Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inaho found Slaine almost unconscious and called Yuki for help but what price do they pay for letting him taste freedom?

"What the heck?!" The long haired brunette shouted at her brother. "You say that your boss let you take _this_ man out?!" She pointed at the blond who was asleep at the back seat of the car. She tried focusing on her driving but she can't help but turn her head around whenever her brother replies.  
  
"Stop talking so much and drive faster." Inaho had Slaine's head on his lap. He preferred to sit at the back to tend to the other man's needs.   
  
The brunet was thankful for his sister's presence. The time he called her, she arrived at the location immediately with the materials he asked her to bring. She didn't complain at all and was quiet while she was treating Slaine's wounds. When they hopped in the car, that was when she started to release her frustrations.  
  
Inaho felt somewhat relieved seeing her sister but Slaine still bugged him to no end.  
  
He was still dead worried.  
  
"I-Is he going to be alright..?" A small voice beside the ranting driver managed to talk. "It's all my fault..." The girl covered her face in shame. She almost cried again.  
  
"Ah--" Yuki paused. "N-No!!! It's not your fault!" She turned around to glare at Inaho but hurriedly looked back to the girl who started sniffling. "Don't worry, no one is at fault here. Don't cry anymore, alright? That boy is already fine. He's a pretty tough one so a stab won't probably be that serious, okay?"  
  
Inaho rolled his eyes because of what his sister said.   
  
The girl beside Yuki nodded and started to wipe her tears using the back of her hands.  
  
It just took them a few minutes to drive towards Inaho's apartment.  
  
When they arrived the site, the two brunets hurriedly pulled Slaine out of the car carefully and they decided that Inaho should carry Slaine on his back so that the public won't get too suspicious with the man's features and current state. The brunet man made the blond wear his suit so the blood wouldn't be so evident and Yuki made him wear her working cap. As for Inaho, he already changed his blood-stained shirt into the new one he asked Yuki to bring him.  
  
Yuki held the hand of the girl beside her and smiled. "We're here. Come with us."  
  
The child's green orbs sparkled but hesitation was still obvious in it despite the invitation. "Is it okay?"  
  
Inaho glanced back at the two ladies. For a moment he cursed Slaine for being taller than him because the other man's shoulder practically slumped in front of him from his back. His view was totally covered so the brunet just decided to walk on his own. He pulled up the blond's thighs and held them as he walked cautiously.  
  
Slaine was unconscious and cold but Inaho felt something warm swell up inside of him.  
  
He chuckled softly. "I'm starting to get weirder and weirder." Inaho whispered, rubbing his warm cheeks close against Slaine's cold ones.  
  
\--  
  
Yuki carefully unlocked the door and went in first alongside the young girl. She opened the door for Inaho and Slaine. Her brother was obviously already exhausted. He woke up very early to bug Yuki about the conference he was about to attend and he even picked her up in their old, renovated house. She knew his schedule really well and she also knew how tiring this could be for his little brother. She didn't want to bother Inaho with her lectures as of the moment so she kept her calm and just sat on the couch with the little girl when the two boys entered the master's bedroom.  
  
Yuki sighed. The girl looked at her with worry. "Are you alright?"  
  
The long haired brunette smiled and patted her head. "Yeah. I'm fine." She noticed the girl's green eyes and light brown hair. She looks like...  
  
"You look so tired... D-Do you want me to bring you water?" Green eyes focused on the brunette's.  
  
Yuki cut off her reminiscing and refused. "No it's alright, this day has also been tough for you too, kid. I can get water when I want to." She slumped her back on the cushions. "By the way, what's your name? I mean, I don't want to call you 'kid' forever..."   
  
The girl laughed. "My name is Nova. Tenmei Nova."  
  
The brunette was curious. Her last name is Japanese but her name is kind of, off. "Nova? You're a foreigner?"  
  
Nova nodded, "Yes, but not entirely. I'm half Galician."  
  
"G-Galician, huh? I really don't know where that is but that sounds so cool!" Yuki shouted like a kid. It's not as if it's the first time she saw a foreigner. It's just that it feels different this way when introductions come from a first-hand experience.  
  
The oak haired girl blushed and was at a loss for words. After a while she looked down and smiled. "The street children usually tell me that I'm different from them and they tell me that I should know that I don't deserve to be praised." She looked at Yuki, teary-eyed. "This is the first time someone said that to me."  
  
Despite her being a little kid, she seemed to act more mature than her age. The way she speaks is too full of certain purity and vigor that it was almost spine-chilling. Yuki cannot ever be mistaken. This child is a lot like Asseylum vers Allusia.  
  
She pinched the girl's cheek and stared at her. "Stop crying or I'll be mad." She used to do this with Inaho when he was younger but of course, crying wasn't Inaho's problem. Yuki pinches him when he misbehaves or refuses to listen to whatever his big sister says.   
  
"O-Okay, okay. I'll stop." She whispered and looked at the door where Inaho and Slaine entered a few minutes ago. "They must be really good friends..."  
  
Yuki gulped. "Y-Yeah..."  
  
"That person with the beautiful eyes is so kind... He risked his life to save me." Nova smiled. "No wonder why your brother is so worried about him. Are they best friends?" Her green orbs focused on Yuki's once more.   
  
Yuki didn't know how to respond.   
  
_Well, they used to be enemies..._  
  
_Now they're probably more than friends..?_  
  
_...there's no way I could tell a kid about all that._  
  
"N-Nova, h-how old are you?" Yuki stayed away from the topic with a chuckle of nervousness.  
  
"I just turned seven... I think." She scratched her head.  
  
_She thinks?_  
  
"Ah, I see." The brunette smiled awkwardly. She tapped her fingers on the wooden table in front of the couch and an idea grew from her insides. "Let's just cook something, shall we? I'm getting really hungry."  
  
\--  
  
Inaho laid down the unconscious man on the middle of the king sized bed. He panted. He was tired even though they took the elevator way up to the eleventh floor. The brunet heaved a sigh of relief as he let his body rest beside Slaine. They're finally home.   
  
This four cornered apartment wasn't really a home to begin with. To Inaho, it was just an empty space given by the higher-ups to make him feel like he was still needed in-service after he caught Slaine as a prisoner and became his warden. Most of what he felt about this area was just blank; a place where he just passes by to sleep, take a shower, or change his clothes.   
  
As of the moment, his apartment felt something more than what he expected it to be.  
  
His sister was staying here along with a nice girl, abandoning the thought that he made her cry the first time they met, but more importantly, he was lying next to the man that makes him feel quite alive.  
  
Slaine.  
  
With them, it feels like home.  
  
Inaho sat down, shook his head, and made sure he was done thinking about things. He had to make sure this boy beside him was clean before actually sleeping because he was worried that the injury might still have the danger of infection despite Yuki cleaning it up.  
  
He took off Slaine's shirt and examined the wound. It was pretty deep but it was already all dried up. The blond probably lost a lot of blood based on his level of consciousness. When Inaho arrived, the other was almost at a loss for himself. The brunet next checked Slaine's pulse. The contracting became more often and it wasn't as heavy as before. The beats also grew faster than when he first checked it. It was a good sign. His body was coping up pretty well to the treatment.  
  
_Thank goodness._  
  
The brunet went to the shower room, filled a wash tub with warm water, and took a small towel from his cabinet. He dropped some fragrance oil in the lukewarm water and placed it on his wooden desk beside the bed. Inaho sinked the piece of cloth into the liquid and held Slaine's hand to wipe it gently. The brunet noticed how slender the man's fingers were. It was hard to believe that it was the hands of a slave, a murderer, and a prisoner.  
  
It looked so pale and innocent almost like a child's.  
  
His brown orbs glared at it with dread when he realized it was the same fingers that pulled a trigger to his left eye.  
  
Inaho shoved away his thoughts and relaxed himself. Inhaling the scent of water made him calm. He didn't read the label of the oil he dropped in the fluid but one could easily classify its stunning aroma as lavender. It was soothing especially for the brunet who had quite an adventurous day. He hoped Slaine could also feel the same.  
  
After wiping the arms, Inaho motioned the towel towards the chest area. There, he saw scars. He already saw it before but not this close. During those times in the prison, Inaho had to be present in the bathroom with Slaine to monitor him. He always noticed that Slaine would usually pull his guard up as if he is full of shame and hesitation when he starts to escort him while showering. Inaho simply considered that it wasn't normal to be comfortable when someone is watching you take a bath.  
  
But now, he came to an understanding that Slaine's reason was probably deeper than mere awkwardness.  
  
The brunet slipped his fingers on the other's scars. He rubbed the long-healed wounds underneath his touch. Slaine looked very vulnerable and tempting at the same time. Inaho longed to caress and hold the man so badly until the blond open his eyes up at dawn. He wanted to bite him; pounce on him like a hungry animal savoring its prey for betraying his trust and leave his trails all over his pale body so he learns his lessons.   
  
The more he thought of this, the more he craved to chain the blond up so he can't escape and run away from him again.  
  
Inaho jerked his hand away from Slaine and hurriedly sat on the small couch beside his bed. He knew it was bad to leave the man exposed like that since it was pretty chilly but he had to keep his distance as his priority.   
  
He had to calm down.  
  
After a few seconds of closing his eyes and composing himself, he stood up to remove all of the blond's clothing and he wiped every corner of his body. The enticement was hard to fight and the brunet could insolently brag to himself that he succeeded fighting the devil as he placed the wash tub back to the bathroom to discard the liquid contents.  
  
Inaho opened the door to glance at Slaine for one more time. He tucked the man in the warm bedsheets and let him wear his clothes. His old plain shirts and pants suited the blond perfectly.  
  
Once Slaine regains consciousness, he's going to buy clothes for him with the aid of Yuki.  
  
He smiled at the thought, undressed himself, and twisted the shower knob.  
  
\--  
  
He was slumping on his prison bed. Voices of war and shouts for victory clamored inside his thoughts.  
  
_I am the great dictator._  
  
_For the Princess, I will do everything in my power._  
  
_Even if my sanity leads me astray, I will forever protect her._  
  
The dictator raised his hands with glory and pride. The people were screaming his name as if it was a chant that will make their well-believed aspirations come true.  
  
_I finally won._  
  
_I don't have to wage another war again._  
  
He inhaled the savory scent of being a victor. When the dictator lowered down his fists, his eyes flew open. It was dark and it was as if oxygen was being deprived off his lungs. His spine chilled as he saw his hands.  
  
_Blood._  
  
He lowered down his head. Blood spurted out from where he is standing.  
  
His eyes widen in shock.  
  
How could this be? What is happening? Why is it dark?  
  
The region of his abdomen screamed out loud. It hurts so bad it felt like something grew in it and now it wanted to break free.  
  
_Despair._  
  
_Agony._  
  
_Lies._  
  
He lost his pace of breathing. _I'm useless. I'm a liar. I'm a murderer._  
  
_But was I wrong?_  
  
These dark thoughts kept repeating in his mind, eating out each single piece of sanity left behind his hollow skull. He wanted to cry, shout, or throw up. But most of all...  
  
He wanted to die.  
  
Death is the best choice.  
  
He knew could never go back whatever he does.  
  
_Don't worry._  
  
_You'll be alright._  
  
_Keep your focus on me,_  
  
_Slaine_.  
  
He gasped. A familiar voice echoed from not within his prison. He doesn't know where the source is but this melody brought warmness to the never-ending winter of agony inside him.  
  
It was too good to be true.  
  
When he was about to come up with a valid realization, he felt someone slap his cheek. He immediately jerked up and raised his upper body but that instant, his forehead bumped on something hard and he heard a lady screamed out loud.  
  
"Watch it, Slaine!!!" The brunette surprised him. Why did he bump on her? Is she the one who slapped him? "Don't shock me like that!!!" She continued ranting.  
  
_I'm the one who's mostly shocked here._  
  
"H-He's finally awake!" A little girl pointed at him. Slaine stared at her features. Green eyes, light brown hair...  
  
It looked familiar but at the same time, not.  
  
_Who is this?_  
  
"Welcome back." The well-known monotone voice whispered from his right side. "Do you feel alright now?" He was holding a syringe that was obviously used for him. He felt nauseous. It was not like Slaine didn't trust Inaho but he was afraid of foreign drugs entering his system. Doubting people became his habit and his form of self-defense.  
  
The blond just prayed that the other didn't notice him being hesitant.  
  
"Don't worry, this is just your good old local anesthesia." Inaho smirked.  
  
_Ah yes, of course he would notice..._  
  
"I'm not going to drug you unless you tell me to do so." After saying that, he blew on the blond's nearest ear.  
  
"N-Nao!!!" His sister whispered as she covered the eyes of the little girl sitting beside them, her face red. "Don't do things like that in front of a kid!" She pouted at her brother.  
  
Slaine was dumbfounded and his face was all flushed like Yuki's. To Inaho, it looked like an explosion of red paint on a white, pale canvas.  
  
The blond can't help but look away and cover his face.  
  
_Kaizuka is teasing me again. Will this dork ever stop..?_  
  
The kid stared at everyone making faces and she removed the hands of Yuki on her face to lower them down for a hug. Nova looked down and hesitated to ask for a moment but then glanced at Slaine again intently. "How are you? Do you feel better now?"  
  
The blond looked at her because she seemed like she was blaming herself for what happened a while ago. He gulped.  
  
Inaho also looked at Slaine alongside Yuki, anticipating his answer.  
  
Slaine bit his lower lip as their attention focused mainly on him.  
  
"W-Well..." The blond chuckled. "I feel a lot better now."  
  
Inaho wasn't convinced. He glared at him.  
  
The blond looked down. "I'm sorry, Orange."  
  
_One._  
  
The brunet rolled his eyes.  
  
"Orange? The fruit?" The kid threw glances at the two boys. "Why would you call him orange?" She pointed at Inaho. "I don't see any orange on him--"  
  
Yuki smashed her chin on the child's head lightly. She looked at her and placed her index finger close to her lip. "Keep quiet."  
  
"Yuki you're such an old lady. That's why you don't get a boyfriend." Inaho stood up from the bed and walked towards the couch to sit down.  
  
"What did you say?!" She shouted and walked towards Inaho to pinch his cheek. "Don't talk to me like that you little bastard--" The brunet also grabbed her cheek and they fought for a while.  
  
Slaine looked at them. He sighed. Is Inaho angry?  
  
Of course, he is. He knew this isn't a laughing matter that can be solved by asking for forgiveness and merely laughing. He felt like he betrayed the brunet that gave him a taste of freedom.  
  
_I guess a traitor will always be a traitor._  
  
His heart cried within him.  
  
The blond looked down and noticed the little girl pulling on his shirt. "I'm sorry... I think I'm the reason why Mr. Eyepatch is mad at you..."  
  
_Huh..?_  
  
_M-Mr..._  
  
_Mr. Eyepatch--_  
  
He held his stomach and covered his mouth as he puffed his cheek and he was all red.  
  
"M-Mr. Eyepatch..." He bursted out laughing.  
  
The siblings stared at him as well as the kid. "Did I say something wrong?" The oak-haired young girl hid her face under the sheets. She was flustered.  
  
"I-I'm sorry!" The blond was out of breath. His body was shaking and his eyes were tearing up. "I'm sorry, you didn't say anything wrong. I was just--" He wiped off his tears.  
  
_Two._  
  
_Three._  
  
Inaho lifted from his seat. Slaine looked at him. His cheeks were all red. It made him crack a laugh more. The brunet frowned from the obvious teasing that the blond is giving him. He then looked at Yuki, motioning his head to go get the little girl and leave the room.  
  
Yuki hurriedly patted the girl's back and smiled at her. Slaine was still chuckling and Inaho looked pretty pissed off so the brunette just dragged the child outside the door when she hesitated to leave.  
  
She glared at Inaho and mimed her hands like she does when it's time to eat.  
  
The brunet nodded and closed the door. Only the two of them were left in his room. "Now, now, can we quit the joking." He blankly stared at the blond man.  
  
Slaine sat up properly and coughed. "S-Sorry."  
  
Inaho turned his palms into a fist and hurriedly sat beside Slaine and pulled his hair down so that other man could just look up.   
  
"What are you doing?!" The blond tried to release himself by looking below but when he tried to resist, the brunet insisted on pulling his strands on his back. The blond's eyes widen. Inaho looked at them; it was really beautiful and alluring. He moved his other hand on the aqua orbed man's slender neck and pulled him closer.  
  
"That would be four times." Inaho moved on his knees in front of Slaine so that he could get a better view of the other's face. He bowed closer to the blond. So close that their foreheads are sticking together.   
  
I could see his eyes better like this.   
  
To Inaho, it was the blond's best feature. As they say, the eyes are the mirror to your soul. With this, he felt like seeing Slaine for the first time. His sky blue and sea green orbs were glittering like an endless starry panorama. To him, it was filled with purity and innocence. To him, this was the tint of the other's soul.  
  
_Beautiful._  
  
The brunet moved his hand from the other's neck up to his cheek and caressed it. He pulled him nearer, less distant. Slaine held out his hands to stop him that instant. His face was all hued red and Inaho could feel his temperature rising from his palms. He smirked.  
  
Slaine closed his eyes and closed his lips tighter as if it was a forbidden door no one could enter.  
  
Inaho moved his head towards the other's right ear and whispered. "I'll repeat, four times."  
  
The blond opened his right eye, confusion all over him. "I'm sorry, wha--"  
  
"Five. That would be five times." He whispered more. "You're kinda the masochist type, aren't you?"  
  
Slaine closed his eyes again and bit his lower lip. The brunet cupped his cheeks. What is he going to do?! He recalled the one he did in the car. When Inaho left him alone, he also moved his hands like this and kissed his forehead. Now their foreheads are overlapping and he's way too close will he--  
  
_What is he planning to do?!_  
  
_F-Five?! Five times? And he said I'm a masochist?!_  
  
If he could, Slaine would've probably exploded by now.  
  
He was all flustered and he can't stop blushing...  
  
It was then when Inaho pulled away from him then a series of slaps cut off his phantasm.  
  
One. Two. Three. Four. Five slaps mostly focused on the right cheek.  
  
He threw his eyes open and crawled away from Inaho.  
  
_There's no doubt, he's Satan. He is. I'm sure._  
  
"There you go, we're on par now." Inaho sat down and gave up balancing his knees. "Five slaps."  
  
Slaine wanted to scream at Inaho. He's such an asshole. He looked away and frowned.  
  
"What's the problem?" The brunet moved closer to him once again. At the same time, Slaine moved away farther. Inaho looked at him blankly but he started smirking.  
  
"What do you think I'll do?" His eyes narrowed.  
  
_Jerk. Dork. Asshole._  
  
The blond shoved his face on a pillow and let out a muffled scream.   
  
Inaho could still make out the words despite it being unclear. It was his eye that was damaged, not his ears.   
  
"Go die, Orange!!!" Then he started sniffling.  
  
_Seriously, after you curse me, you cry?_  
  
The brunet rubbed his temples. _I don't understand why he reacts like this every single time. It's like he's throwing bombs of emotional hormones all around me, always._ He scratched his head.   
  
_But I guess... this isn't bad at all._  
  
Inaho smiled and stood up the bed and sat beside Slaine. He patted the man's messy head.   
  
"I freaking hate you, jackass." He didn't look at the brunet and kept his face on the pillow.  
  
"Alright, alright stop calling me names." He sighed. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to lecture you about what you have done."  
  
With that, the vicious bat hesitantly raised his head to look at the other. He breathe in to calm himself. "I know it's my fault for disobeying you. I can't handle seeing the girl like that she..."  
  
"Reminded you of the Princess you couldn't protect?"   
  
Slaine scratched his head at the statement that hit the bull's eye. He was frustrated like Inaho observed. "You know Asseylum didn't ask you to guard her."  
  
"But she saved me. She's the reason why I'm alive, up until now..."  
  
These set of words hurt Inaho. Very much. The Empress begged him to save Slaine, that's a given but if it wasn't for his own effort, this man in front of him wouldn't be here.  
  
He could always disobey Seylum anytime and just let Slaine be killed and rot.  
  
But he didn't.  
  
_Can't you see it was me who saved you? It's not the Empress._  
  
The brunet fell silent.   
  
"Inaho, are you alright?" Slaine looked at him, concern obvious in his eyes.  
  
He shifted away from the topic about Seylum. "At least the girl is safe, right?"  
  
Aqua orbs smiled once again amidst the swelling. "Yeah... By the way why did you slap me again?" He tilted his head.  
  
"To make you stop saying sorry." Inaho looked at him. "Everyone is at fault. I was too irresponsible to just half-lock the car doors and you were too driven by your passion to save a bullied kid. As for the child, we really can't blame her because she has nothing to do with all this. Unexpected things happen. I don't want to face the blame to you when I'm also guilty."  
  
The blond looked down. "I'm terribly sorr--" Inaho grabbed his shirt and pulled his lips closer to his. He wasn't able to stop himself. He was pissed off because the blond kept saying sorry despite his effort to explain that it's not his fault and he even brought up the Princess as a subtopic.  
  
At the same time, it felt wrong to ruin the blonde's mood since he just woke up from an injury.  
  
_Instead of fighting with you, I'll just give you sweet pleasure you wouldn't be able to combat._  
  
He could feel the other resisting his grasping hand but he didn't allow it. After a while, Slaine surrendered and let the brunet venture his way inside his mouth. He didn't know what to feel. One thing's for sure, his heart was beating out loud, it was as if it wanted to escape his chest and jump off a cliff.  
  
After a few moments kissing him that felt like forever, Inaho pulled away his mouth, still biting on Slaine's lower lip. "I told you don't say that. One more time and I'll do more than this."  
  
The blond covered his mouth using the back of his hand and held on to Inaho. His breathing was a rapid gunfire. He panted, seeking for air. "S-Shut up. I won't say it again."  
  
"You didn't like what we did?" Brown orbs smiled in content.  
  
"Shut up!" Slaine pushed Inaho away. The brunet sighed, pulled him once more, and kissed his forehead. He stood up and opened the door. Inaho looked at him and pointed towards the dining table. "Let's eat. I'm starving." He then left the room.  
  
The blond scratched his head. He could still feel his mouth being conquered by the other's. Even though the sensation was faint, it was still there like a poison eating inside him.  
  
He slammed the pillow away and stood up. He felt like throwing a tantrum but he realized he was too old for that.  
  
He walked towards the door and noticed that the heavy load he was carrying in his chest was long gone. Even the pain from the deep stab was gone.   
  
_You didn't like what we did?_  
  
Slaine curved his lips to a smile. "I never said I did." He opened the door and stepped outside the boundary.  
  
\--  
  
"Oh I now understand." Yuki nodded, side glancing towards everybody on the dining table. "Is that why you ran away? It must have been hard for you."  
  
The blond kept his silence as the little girl was telling her tale of being alone and abandoned. Apparently, her parents died in the midst of war between Vers and Earth, the one Slaine was involved with. He felt better just a little while ago but once again he felt nauseous. His mood turned sour.  
  
Inaho kept an eye on Slaine to observe him.  
  
"After that those men kinda took me in their shelter, they fed me properly alongside with the other children who also lost their parents during the war." She twirled her fork around the pasta that Yuki cooked for them while talking. "It was just they are really scary when it comes to ordering us around to beg for food or even steal from stores." The kid lifted her fork and placed it on her mouth. She looked really cute and innocent that way.  
  
"Yuki calls you Nova?" Inaho raised an eyebrow. The name was weird but he heard of it before.   
  
"Yes. That's my name." She looked at him very curiously. "Why?"  
  
Inaho grabbed his phone from his pocket and googled the name up. "A noun: nova. Plural: novae or novas. In astronomy: a star showing it's sudden increase of brightness then slowly returns to it's original state over a few months. Originated from a Latin word, novus meaning new because these stars were thought to be newly formed." He said out loud.  
  
"My name suddenly sounded so cool..!" Nova scratched her head and smiled. Her green orbs were sparkling like gems.  
  
"A new star, huh..." Slaine smiled and dug in his second serving of pasta. It tasted new to him since all the food he has been eating in the prison were mostly scheduled everyday to make sure he gets proper nutrition. This was a change for him.   
  
"I didn't know you were so poetic." Inaho lightly stepped on the blond's foot under the table.  
  
Slaine, who pulled his feet away from the brunet, frowned and rolled his eyes. "I didn't know you were such a nerd." He mimicked Inaho's tone.  
  
Yuki slapped the heads of the two men. "Stop it you two aren't in nursery, seriously?! You guys still act like that?" She sighed.  
  
"Your wrinkles are showing, Yuki." Inaho raised his plate, asking for more of his sister's cooking.  
  
"Geez. Grow up already." She violently took her brother's plate and filled it up once more. It was his third serving.  
  
"B-By the way, Ms. Kaizuka, this is very delicious." Slaine looked at her with all honesty. "This reminds me of my time when I was still a kid."  
  
The little girl also nodded to agree. She stared at the blond quite intently.  
  
Yuki sat back her chair and blushed. "Ah-- T-Thank you. I mean, it's not a problem. I know everyone's starving." She played with her hair and chuckled in embarrassment.  
  
_Beep. Beep._  
  
Inaho felt his phone vibrate on his lap. He wanted to ignore it but it didn't stop creating a ruckus.   
  
_It's too late for this. What is this--_  
  
He looked at the phone and noticed several missed calls from Claire.  
  
The brunet frowned and stood up from the chair. He walked towards the balcony and just let the air relax him. He dialed Claire's number and place the phone on his left ear, waiting for the ringing to stop. The other line finally picked up and the familiar voice could be heard on the other side.  
  
"Ah, Sir? I've been calling you nonstop a while ago." She sounded tired.  
  
"Yeah I kinda noticed." The brunet inhaled, preparing himself for what is it to come. "What is the problem?"  
  
"Two men approached the office desk and reported something." She lowered her voice as if to whisper. "They were civilians. They claimed that Slaine Troyard is still alive and he recently kidnapped their niece."  
  
Inaho froze.  
  
He sighed out loud, very loud. "Do they have evidences?" He crossed his fingers. He prayed not.  
  
"They don't have actual evidence but..." Inaho could feel nervousness pouring down on the other side. "Sir Troyard's pendant. They have it with him."  
  
_Oh well._  
  
_This is bad._  
  
"Okay, I understand." Inaho clicked his tongue. "Thank you for the warning. I know you're not allowed to do this and you may get your name involved in this case. Why did you--"  
  
"I'm merely doing my job, Sir. I did this to protect our prisoner. This is the oath I've made when I accepted this profession."  
  
Inaho was astonished by her straight-forward answer.  
  
"Thank you." That was the only thing he could tell her. Claire is such a loyal person. He looked up to her because of that. He pressed the end call button and scratched his head.  
  
His thoughts flew back to the problem. Two civilians accusing Slaine of kidnapping their niece even if the whole world knew he was long dead. He was confident that these men were the ones who beat the blond to death and were the reason why Slaine went running out of the car. He smirked from his ideas. The brunet didn't consider this as a problem at all. He was challenged and interested. Once again, a new light came pouring down over him thanks to Slaine and Nova.  
  
The sole thing that bothered him right now was how to tell the other about this without making him blame himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used 'A New Star' as a title for Nova's (official) introduction and maybe I also thought it wasn't just this girl's name but it might also mean other things for Slaine, Inaho, and the rest of the company.
> 
> Slaine found a new light in this scripted two day freedom while on the other hand, Inaho found his light in him.
> 
> Actually please do blame me for these two dorks are already lovey-dovey because I (kinda) find it awkward and it's kinda over-used to write them as an angsty pair who practically hate but then falls in love with each other. Instead, I would like to think that in the three years that Slaine was in the prison, his heart was already help captive by his stoic warden/prince/Inaho even though the person he could just seriously worry about is his Princess.
> 
> I'm planning to make the next chapter very dark and kinda dramatic to contrast this chapter. Please look forward to it.
> 
> I'd also like to thank those users and random internet rabbits who breed on my hit counter to 216 (atm). You guys breed a lot; it's just 2 days. Anyway, thanks to these people who left us a kudos Ghostfriendly, NiceArt121, heijihatsutori, flowerylies, nozurei, Erinia, viLelouch, and Electric_12 and 10 guests. I can't help but barf rainbows. KeiC and I are very happy.
> 
> Once again, please look forward to the next chapters.
> 
> xoxo,  
> theworldstoodstill


	3. The Color of the Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slaine finds out that Yuki holds a grudge against him and she might not be alone on the thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm truly sorry for not updating fast. I've been having a writer's block(?) or so they call it-- but thing are fine now. I'm excited as to where this plot is getting and I hope you feel the same. Also thanks and congratulations for KeiC who just posted her debut oneshot using Inaho x Slaine (that plot was just a crack joke between us, really) and try checking it out too, it's worth it ;)
> 
> Please enjoy this chapter!
> 
> xoxo,  
> theworldstoodstill

When Inaho left the dining table, Yuki sighed in dismay. Her brother was always so occupied with work. Not like she didn't understand it but to the brunette, he was pushing himself too far. She knew that Slaine's escapade might lead Inaho to devastating scenarios where her brother might risk his name or even his life for Slaine. If that happens, Yuki wouldn't be able to handle it. He is the reason why she is still living after all.  
  
The brunette sighed a deep one. Slaine looked at her. "A-Are you alright?" He stood up to put the plates on the counter. Yuki also stood up to help him.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." She took the glasswares and the cutlery and handed them to the blond. He took it and started to wash the dishes. Yuki glanced at him with shock.  
  
 _He knows how to wash them?!_  
  
She was staring at him when Slaine turned back, his face all red. "P-Please don't look at me like that." He consciously moved his eyes at the pouring faucet.  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't know you could do household chores."Yuki approached the tall man after she wiped the table. "Or maybe, you're just forced to do it? No need to be shy. I'll do it--"  
  
"No." Slaine looked up and directed his glance at her. "It's fine, get some rest."  
  
"Hey you're the injured one here! I should be the one saying that!!" She laughed and slammed the blond's back with her fists.  
  
The man was surprised. "H-Hey stop that, it kinda hurt." He chuckled.  
  
"By the way," The brunette stopped and leaned her waist on the counter. She was looking at Inaho's back who was in the balcony. "I have a question."  
  
Slaine was almost done washing the plates and glasswares. All that was left were the silver utensils. He paused to look at Yuki. "What is it?" Uneasiness caved its way into his chest.  
  
 _I never had a proper conversation with Inaho's sister._  
  
He was undeniably nervous but he continued to clean what was left anyway.  
  
"You were the one who shot his eye, right?"  
  
Slaine's hands slipped when he heard the question and the forks went raging down the sink.  
  
Inaho turned around when something clanged and he saw the two standing beside each other. His sister held up her palm, telling him to stay and don't enter the kitchen yet. The brunet wanted to disobey her and just step in but she had that serious look in her face that even he feels kind of uneasy about.  
  
It's better to leave them be, I guess. He turned around and focused on his thoughts once more.  
  
"I'll repeat my question," Yuki patted the blond's shoulder. "Was it you who shot Inah--"  
  
"Yes. Yes. It was me." His voice was obviously shaking.  
  
The brunette eyed him one more time and took a towel. She gave it to him with force and shoved him away from the sink. He stepped on his right to give way. Yuki continued washing what was left.  
  
"I-I'm sorr--"  
  
"Your sorry won't make my brother's left eye heal." She said with a stern tone. As of the moment, she wanted to be serious. She wanted to lecture this man beside her not because he did something wrong to Inaho but because she was convinced that he was a good man and yet, he threw his kindness away just to start a war. Yuki didn't care about the misunderstandings of the past but what she wanted to know was , why.  
  
 _Why did you have to hurt a lot of people?_  
  
 _Why did you have to hurt yourself?_  
  
She bit her lower lip and looked down. Yuki closed the faucet and took the towel from Slaine who just stood there, unmoving and spacing out. He was breathing heavily.  
  
The brunette scratched her head and grinned. "Don't mind what I said!" After all, she can't talk to Slaine like this. Inaho will rage on her. "Here, let me wipe your hands." She pulled the blond's arms and started to place the towel on them. He was so pale and his hands were big.  
  
 _These were the hands that shot Inaho._  
  
Yuki wanted to hurt the man. All this time, she was just holding back. When she saw Slaine stabbed in the parking lot she thanked God because she thought it was his price to pay for hurting her brother but when she saw Inaho worried about him, the brunette knew there was something going on.  
  
 _How could he forgive such a man who caused him so much pain?_  
  
 _Worst, how could he love him?_  
  
The brunette was spacing out so Slaine wiped the towel by himself. "Y-Yuki, are you alright..?" He didn't hesitate to ask because she kinda looked pale.  
  
The brunette bit her lip and breathed slowly.  
  
How am I supposed to be alright when the person who tried to kill my brother multiple times is in front of me? Are you kidding me?  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Geez, you keep asking." She laughed and her eyes smiled. Yuki took the towel and threw it in the laundry. "You know, you should rest. Slaine, your injury must still hurt, right?"  
  
The blond pulled a chair out for Yuki and he sat beside it. "Actually, it doesn't hurt that much anymore thanks to you." He smiled and nodded, as if inviting the brunette to sit beside him and have a casual talk. He was used to this; faking faces. Even though Slaine found it hard to keep smiling, for the sake of his repentance, he'll do anything.  
  
Yuki, upon the invitation, sat down and kept quiet. She exchanged glances with Slaine from time to time but no sincere topics went out of her brain; just pure questions and blame for the blond. The brunette didn't want to ask since she didn't want to see her brother getting bothered over this criminal if she asked sensitive questions.  
  
 _There's nothing to talk about with this guy._  
  
In return, Slaine also kept his silence. He wanted to say sorry but as like what she said, it won't make Inaho's eye heal and it also wouldn't heal the people he hurt as well as his pride, if ever he has any of it left. He was saddened by the thought.  
  
"Slaine..." Yuki bowed her head down and entwined her fingers in a praying manner. "I don't like you."  
  
The blond blinked multiple times as if trying to compute the words he heard. He knew he was the kind of person anyone would dislike. He's a big liar and he's the lie himself. The blond bit his lower lip as hard as he could and he closed his eyes.  
  
 _Now I'm out of prison, the steel bars can't hide me anymore from their hate._  
  
 _Their loathing and hostility._  
  
 _If the civilians were to know that I am still alive..._  
  
 _They'll kill me._  
  
 _Death is the only way._  
  
 _But I don't want it. I don't want to die._  
  
 _It's not my fault..._  
  
 _He covered his face with his palms._  
  
"I want to be honest with you as much as I can." Yuki sighed and looked at the man who hid his face. She can't merely bottle up her emotions anymore. "Inaho is the only family I have left."  
  
 _I have none._  
  
"You shot him. Do you know how much pain you caused him?"  
  
 _He shot me first._  
  
Does he know how much pain is there when you are forced to answer a question while being whipped?  
  
"I'll protect him, no matter what."  
  
 _Shut up._  
  
"From everyone. Even from you."  
  
He stood up and the chair fell from its place. The blond violently slammed his hands on the table that made a loud resonating sound inside the apartment. "SHUT UP!!!" He screamed out loud. His voice was hoarse and weary.  
  
 _I'm so tired of this._  
  
 _I'm so tired of everything._  
  
Inaho finally exited the balcony and entered the room. There is no one stopping him now. Nova ran towards him. She hugged his waist and she was shaking. "W-What's going on..? I'm scared..."  
  
The brunet looked at the two people in the dining area.  
  
 _Just what exactly is going on?_  
  
Slaine walked towards the master's bedroom. His steps were small and slow. Yuki bit her lip. He shocked her. She knew that she should have kept her mouth shut but she also didn't expect such an agitated reaction from the other. The brunette felt her heart stop a beat when the blond screamed out loud. He sounded so painful.  
  
She closed her eyes and when she heard the door close forceless, Yuki heaved a sigh and buried her face on the table.  
  
Inaho approached her and sat at the chair Slaine used for his agitation just a little while ago. "Now, dear sister." He calmly stared at Yuki's head. "Can you please explain what's going on?" It wasn't a question. It was an order. The brunette gulped.  
  
 _Damn it._  
  
She raised her head. "Uhh..." She hummed for a while and also looked at Inaho. She can't win a staring contest with this guy. "I kinda pushed the button too far?" She chuckled nervously and poked her tongue out to look cute.  
  
Inaho sighed really loud. He can't help but frown. Bad news after the other.  
  
"You know he's very emotionally challenged, no?" He kept staring at Yuki.  
  
"I know that but--"  
  
"Then what happened? Why did he react like that? He's not yet that crazy to just ignite like that."  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Well..?"  
  
Yuki breathed out loud. "Okay whatever!!! Just stop asking, I'll tell you!"  
  
The brunet fell silent.  
  
"I asked if he was the one who shot you and when he said sorry, I got carried away and told him that a sorry won't heal you. I also told him that I don't like him."  
  
Inaho raised an eyebrow. "Why would you eve--"  
  
The brunette raised a hand to stop his opinions. She knows her brother very well. If she let him descant, he'll rant non-stop with a straight face. "I'm not yet done talking."  
  
The other just closed his mouth to retreat.  
  
"I just wanted to be honest. Truth be told, I was just holding back because you seemed very happy in his company. I need him to know that if ever he harms you again, I will not hesitate to separate the two of you."  
  
The brunet sighed. He loves his sister so he knew that she just wanted to protect him. He knew she didn't want to lose another loved one but...  
  
He didn't want to lose Slaine, either.  
  
"I understand, Yuki. I really do." The brunette looked at him, happiness painted in her eyes. "I appreciate your worry but don't you think I'm too old for this?"  
  
Yuki's cheerfulness went dim that instant and she lowered her head down. "I know. I just..."  
  
Inaho admits that he is not a good speaker. He stood up and pulled Yuki to a hug. He kissed his sister's forehead. "Thank you." The brunet whispered on his sister's ear.  
  
She gasped and covered her mouth.  
  
Inaho walked towards Nova. "Keep her snot from falling." He petted the kid's head. Inaho noticed that she just came out of the master's bedroom.  
  
 _What was she doing there?_  
  
The oak-haired girl nodded and smiled. "Yes, Sir!"  
  
"By the way, is Slaine alright?" Inaho asked her.  
  
Nova grinned and her green eyes sparkled. "He is very okay... I think?"  
  
The brunet stepped inside the room. He could hear Yuki sniffling and the little girl cheering her up. He closed the door and sat on the bed to observe the blond who was sleeping so tight as if nothing happened.  
  
\--  
  
Footsteps could be heard all across the empty space alongside the calming audible sounds of raindrops falling on the roof and the ground. It was winter and yet the rain can't be put to a halt. The cold continued to bite on every inch of the city as deathly silence rampaged below there in the midst of war between Vers and Earth.  
  
A little girl sat on a corner of a warehouse. It was a stockroom for scrap metals like rusty iron bars, unused cars, and even kataphrakts that were too damaged to be even of use for battle. Everything in this place is breaking and almost useless.  
  
The little girl merely sat there, weeping and holding on to something.  
  
She tries to forget everything but this certain color is too strong that it haunts her every single time she closes her eyes. To her, this was the color of death.  
  
The color of the sea.  
  
She hated it. She despised it. Even a single glance of it makes her insides go in a turmoil and she cannot help but feel nauseous.  
  
 _Horrible. Horrible. Horrible._  
  
Footsteps ran closer as she looked up to them.  
  
"Hey, here's your share." Little hands reaching out to her to hand something.  
  
"Thank you." She smiled then grabbed the transparent plastic bag filled with yellow-brown crystals. The other kids sat beside her, opening their bags as if it was a sweet treat.  
  
"By the way, we did a great job for boss right?!" The person on her left grinned, tapping the shoulders of the others.  
  
"Well, obviously. We won't get this as a gift if we didn't!" They laughed as a chorus.  
  
The little girl smiled. She just smiled. She didn't know how to approach the others and tell them that what they were doing was bad. Very bad. Somewhere inside her, she felt like crying. She felt sorry for them.  
  
"Hey, aren't you opening yours?" The person on the little girl's right called out to her. Smoke went out if his mouth and a robust scent came spurring in her lungs.  
  
 _It smells bad._  
  
 _Horribly bad._  
  
"Ah, yes. A little later, I think..." She scratched her head and forced a laugh. As she opened her mouth, smoke immediately caved inside due to the other. She wanted to puke.  
  
Terrible. Terrible. Terrible.  
  
"I see." The boy grinned. "Aren't you the new one? I bet you're not used to this." He giggled as if he cracked a joke. The others did too.  
  
"Yeah." The little girl responded while looking down. She hid her bag between her chest and her knees. She pressed her hands on her legs to cover it up.  
  
"Alright we'll go ahead." The boy looked at her and asked the others to leave as well. When they did, the girl felt like a large amount of luggage was removed in her chest. She sighed. Keeping up an act isn't her forte but she knew she was faking it well.  
  
She stretched out her legs and placed the plastic in her bag. It was filled with it. She never used those. She never liked how it smells and most of all, she never liked what it did to the others who voluntarily take it in.  
  
It was hideous.  
  
The little girl stood up and secured the bag on her shoulders. Like she always do, she approached a massive dump of metal: an old and severely damaged KG-7 Areion. The girl reached out a hand on the useless karaphrakt and felt the cold run on her palms up to her spine.  
  
The memory was still as vivid as how it used to be.  
  
The hue of green azure.  
  
Gun pointing.  
  
Glaring.  
  
Screaming.  
  
Blood. Everywhere.  
  
 _Horrible. Horrible. Horrible._  
  
\--  
  
"Ehhhhhh!!" Nova whined while Yuki sniffled and cried to no end. It's been thirty minutes since Inaho left her in Nova's hands. The child didn't understand why the brunette was crying so much. "Isn't a kiss and a hug a sign of love? Why are you crying?" She scratched her head.  
  
"Kid." Yuki tried to talk. Her voice was all muffled and the child beside her is getting in her nerves. "Crying isn't just for sad people." She took her fifth tissue from the box and rolled it into a ball.  
  
"That's weird!" The oak haired child laughed. She just looked at Yuki and fell silent.  
  
"What is it?" The brunette did the same. She stared at the girl for a minute.  
  
Nova shook her head and hummed. "Nothing. I am just worried about that person."  
  
"Who?" Yuki scratched her head and pulled another tissue out.  
  
"That person with the beautiful eyes."  
  
"He has a name you know."  
  
"I know, I know. I just like to call him that."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I think his eyes are very beautiful. I think it's his best asset." The child laughed. "Such pretty green azure eyes..."  
  
The older lady sighed. "Children these days." She stood up from her chair to grab a can of coffee and a can of milk in the fridge.  
  
"By the way, big sister." Nova looked at the balcony. "Did that boy and you have a fight? Why did he scream like that? He was kinda scary..."  
  
"I think he misunderstood things..?" Yuki returned to her seat and handed the girl the can of milk. She stared at it for a while but grabbed it anyway. "I wasn't able to explain things properly, probably."  
  
"What things?"  
  
She raised an eyebrow.  
  
 _I know kids are curious as cats but does she have to be this nosy?_  
  
"Things like..." She can't say these thoughts especially at a seven year old kid. "You know, it's adult talk, alright? It's quite complicated, I'm very sorry."  
  
"I'm sorry for asking too much. I understand." Nova smiled at her as she opened her can of milk. She didn't want to be annoying so silence must be the best answer as of the moment.  
  
"Anyway, when you entered the master's bedroom, what was Slaine doing?" The brunette looked down. She knew if she didn't let her mouth and temper run in a marathon, it wouldn't end up like this. She blamed herself for that and she felt guilty for being such an asshole.  
  
"He was just sitting down at the edge of the bed. I saw water drops on the floor boards so he must have been crying... I think?" Nova frowned. "I was able to talk him out to sleep though so you don't have to worry, big sister."  
  
"You put him to sleep?" The brunette sipped on her cold coffee.  
  
"Yep!" The oak haired child grinned.  
  
"People would usually refuse to sleep when they are mad. He didn't resist?"  
  
Nova turned her head to the door of the master's bedroom. "I don't think he can." She smiled at it.  
  
The gentleness of her beam made Yuki look at her intently. She never saw someone smiling in such content. It was too pure and blinding. Too innocent that it was almost poisonous.  
  
The brunette shrugged.  
  
 _It must have been my imagination._  
  
\--  
  
The room smells funny. When they went out from there before dinner, it didn't reek that way. Inaho noticed the windows Slaine must have opened before going to sleep.  
  
Maybe he just wanted to relax and let fresh air in.  
  
The brunet still sat there beside the blond boy. Slaine looked so calm that it almost reassures the other that he will be back in shape and in mood once he flutters his eyelids tomorrow morning. Inaho can't help but smile at the thought.  
  
 _Knock. Knock. Knock._  
  
The brunet lifted his head and looked at the door. "Come in." He said invitingly.  
  
"Ah-- Sir, I'm sorry did I disturb you?" The little girl went in the room. He didn't see a sight of his big sister.  
  
"Where's Yuki?" He asked, observing the girl's background.  
  
"She told me to tell you that she's leaving and she'll be back by tomorrow afternoon." Nova smiled.  
  
"I see." Inaho frowned. His stupid sister should have at least waved a goodbye for him but he thought that maybe, Yuki didn't want to disturb him any further. He sighed and glanced at Nova. "How about you?"  
  
The oak haired girl pointed at her face. "M-Me? What about me, Sir?"  
  
The brunet twitched. Why is she calling him 'Sir'? Is she still scared because he used to point a gun on her head? If Slaine hears about that incident he'll probably rage on him.  
  
"Why the formality? Don't call me that, please." Inaho tapped on the sheets beside him to invite the child to sit with him. The girl looked at him but tried to avoid his eyes. She was all flustered and the brunet could clearly see that she's still awkward with him. After a while of silence, Nova approached Inaho and sat next to him.  
  
"Just call me big brother." Inaho looked at her familiar emerald eyes. It was also beautiful, just like Slaine's and the Princess'. It has that same sparkle the brunet finds gentle and alluring. As her orbs widen in shock with the statement, Inaho can't help but smile. "I'm sorry for pointing a gun at you."  
  
She smiled also in return. "It's alright. I understand why you did, I was also being creepy following you around." She laughed a genuine one.  
  
 _It's so innocent that I almost feel envious._  
  
"Big brother, what were you talking about, what about me? Is there a problem with me?" She placed her hands together, nervously tapping her fingers.  
  
"No no no. I just wanted to ask because you won't be comfortable sleeping in the couch, right?"  
  
"It's very soft and comfy though! It's way much different from back then when I was sleeping on a warehouse floor." She laughed out loud. "Don't worry, I'll be fine there."  
  
"Sleep beside Slaine and me." The brunet looked at her. "It's not safe to leave a little girl like you out there alone in the living area. Even though the doors are locked someone might still go in. Let's just try to be cautious."  
  
Nova stared at Inaho for a moment. She paused. "I understand." She looked down to smile.  
  
The brunet remembered that the child had a wound on her forehead when he first saw her in the parking lot. He got curious and asked. "How do you feel? Did Yuki also treat your bruises from that time?"  
  
The girl looked up, "She did after I took a bath. Your sister is really kind! You both are!" She grinned and laid down on the left side of the bed. In the middle was Slaine, and on the right was Inaho.  
  
When the man took out his eyepatch and closed the lights, he yawned. This day was too tiring and a lot of things surely happened. When Inaho faced towards the window, he saw something shining on the hands of the girl beside the blond. It was silver and circular and it was familiar...  
  
A pendant.


	4. The Blatant Farce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inaho finds about the obliteration he brought in his own household and the Farce shows her true self-- or is it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had the time to write (no I'm just lazy to do my home works) because classes have been suspended for today. I got to finish this chapter the whole afternoon I was in front of my laptop and it's a good thing I guess--?  
> It's short compared to the other chapters but, I hope I did justice in this. I'm not spoiling any of you okay? Though the title says it all...

"...and that's what Claire told me."

Slaine sat down on the couch as he eyed Inaho who was explaining about what the jail lady told him. Apparently, the two men who knocked him out visited the main prison and claimed that the little girl they brought with them is their niece and they accused him of kidnapping her.

_What. The. Fuck._

The blond groaned in disappointment.

He looked outside the window. Just about a month ago in his cell he was sure the weather was dry, hot and quite sunny. Heat cannot be avoided when it seeps in his whole cage so it was easy to know the season but today, it seems the cold took its turn to come and embrace him.

Slaine didn't even want to think about the matter.

"Here," The other man handed him a warm cup of coffee. "Don't let the news bug you so much. I can handle it." Inaho sat beside him, tapping on his eye patch.  
  
"Thank you." Slaine took the cup and wrapped his fingers around it. Inaho was obviously stressed. Slaine couldn't tell him that it was his fault. He already bothers Inaho too much.  
  
He realized that his silence was enough.

I don't know what to do.

I don't know what to say to him.

"Slaine."

He turned his head towards Inaho and saw him wearing some kind of a... he didn't know what it was but he looked pathetic trying to scare Slaine with that stupid mask on.

"Orange, stop that." Slaine frowned and looked away.

"You look so serious." The other didn't want to listen to his muffled voice.

"So?" He didn't look back at him.

"Are you concerned about me?"

Slaine bit his lower lip. It was hilarious hearing the other talk under that mask with all his monotonous might. "Shut up. Why would I be?" He held back his laughter but he was obviously snorting.

"Hey look at me I can't see you."

"Well you obviously take that pathetic mask off to see me."

"You're laughing now."

"Shut up."

"Hey look here. Seriously."

The blond sighed out loud while scratching his head. Inaho never talks sweet words like other people do when their company feels really low. The brunet merely jokes around doing random stuff that never fail Slaine to crack a laugh or even a smile-- which is a trillion times sweeter that sweet talk; at least it is for Slaine. Persuaded by the other's stubbornness, Slaine turned his head to look at the other.

When he did, to his surprise, a gun was pointing on his forehead.

"K-Kaizuka?!" Slaine can't take his eyes off the bullet hole. "What the hell is your problem--"

"What in the world were you thinking as I had this exact gun aimed at you back then?" Inaho held his demanding, stern tone. His brown orbs were too serious. It frightened the blond.

"W-What do you mean?"

"You tapped your forehead." Inaho blankly stared at the other. "Were you asking death? Or were you asking me to pity you?"

"I don't understand why you have to bring that up right now." There was no doubt. Slaine was uncomfortable talking about this. That moment, he was ready to die. No more, no less. He can't think of a way to explain it to the other. He looked away and bit his lip and held tight to that cup of coffee that felt like it turned cold even if it didn't.

"Why can't you answer me?"

"I don't know." Slaine looked back at Inaho. "Can't you put that down now?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't know."

This bastard. "Are you mocking me?"

"No. I have zero intentions of that." The brunet sighed. He took a long time staring at Slaine before putting the gun down. He sat close beside the blond. He was playing with the gun, rolling the trigger around his index finger. "Slaine." He called out to him but his gaze was on the wall in front of them.

The other, who was obviously frightened, moved away from him and said, "What is it again? You're creeping me out." He looked at Inaho and the other stared at him as well.

"I just find it hard to figure people out, up until now." The man didn't remove his eyes on the other as he talked. "I understand that you are doubtful to leave everything to me. I just wanted you to enjoy whatever time you have left, here, outside your jail. This is the best I could give you."

"Geez. You're the one I can't figure out..." Inaho tilted his head; they both don't understand each other. "Why do you have to do all of this? I mean, I didn't ask for this. Why would you even--"

The brunet smiled as he buried his head on the blond's right shoulder. "I also have no idea..." He laughed as he hid his face.

"You're such an idiot." Slaine smiled, resting his chin on the other's head.

"Well, you're the same."

It was a weird, tingling feeling. Even though they get along pretty well, they can't seem to really know what each other was percieving every moment but they were happy to be just like that.

"By the way, Slaine." Inaho gently moved his head up to look at Slaine. "Do you know where your pendant is?"

The blond moved a bit on his back and looked at the brunet. "Oh." He stared at him for a moment, blinking a lot of times. "Come to think of it... I think I dropped it when I ran to save that girl..."

"You mean, you didn't remember that you lost it until now?" Inaho snorted.

Slaine's eyes widen in shock. "Oh my god I lost my pendant--" The blond hurriedly stood up and turned his head sideways, as if trying to search for it in the room. "What do I do? I lost it!"

 _Are you kidding me_. Inaho eyed him. He stopped himself from laughing by tapping his foot on the floor. _Is he serious? He's really in panic._

Slaine sat on the corner of the bed and scratched his head. "Oh god."

Inaho covered his face and laughed quietly. After a while, he took his hands off his face and looked at Slaine who was staring at him quite furiosly. "Were you laughing at me?!" He shouted.

"No I wasn't." The brunet's face felt hot and he looked away. "I wasn't laughing. I swear."

"I fucking hate you." Slaine stood up, walked, and angrily grabbed the door knob.

"Wait." Inaho immediately stopped the other's hand from opening the door. "I know where your pendant is."

"W-What?" The blond could feel the brunet's head over his left shoulder. "Where is it?"

"I'm not really sure if I saw the exact thing but..." Inaho stepped back and Slaine faced him. "I think it's with Nova."

\--

"Say, little kid." The brunette looked at the girl beside her, smiling with all her might. "You wanna go out? I mean, let's just, you know, have fun?"

Nova looked at her with amusement. "Of course I'd love to go with you, big sister! I'm so happy you offered it." The oak haired girl stared at her, pausing. "Why me though? Why not your brother? You two are close right?"

"Don't even mention him." Yuki sighed. "He's a bore. When I go out shopping with him I could feel his eyes protest from waiting. It would be nice if he's a girl but no he's not so he can't be bothered." She stood up and took her car keys. "And anyway, he's with Slaine so I can't afford to disturb them."

"Why?" Nova walked towards her when she took her borrowed scarf from Yuki's closet. "Why not?"

"Stop asking, kid." Yuki patted the girl's head and took her hand. "Let's go?"

Nova grinned and walked with Yuki towards the main door. "Yeah, let's."

\--

"Wait where did they go?" Slaine stepped out of the master's bedroom just to see an empty, dull living room. Just when finally Inaho explained where his pendant is, he sees the suspect gone.

"Well, Yuki said she might take Nova out for shopping. There's only one mall around here so they're going to be easy to find." Inaho paused. He realized that what he said might make Slaine assume that he's going to go out with him to find them.

_I can't let this bat run away, no not again._

The blond was looking at him.

 _Oh crap._ "Well anyway, let's eat. Yuki probably cooked something for us..." He opened the fridge and stared at it. There was nothing but left over pasta from last night and tons of water containers.

"What's wrong, Inaho?" Slaine said as he sat on the dining table.

"There's no food." The brunet slammed the fridge door loud.

"H-Hey, careful..." The surprised blond looked at him.

_There is no way I'm going to take Slaine out. It's too dangerous. I also can't leave him alone. God knows what he did when I left him last time._

_Damn it._

"You could just go out and buy food though, if you're that hungry." Slaine stared at him while tapping his fingers on the table.

"I'm worried about _you_ , aren't _you_ hungry?" Inaho sat at the chair in front of the blond.

"No, not really." The other rested his chin on the table top. "I feel fine."

But he haven't took anything in since last night, not even liquids. By now he must feel the same appetite as mine...

He remembered that time when Nova went out of the master's bedroom. It smelled funny and it was very unusual. The windows were wide open but the scent still lingered in every corner. His bedroom never smelled like...

_Drugs._

_To be specific, Opium. It smelled like it._

Inaho wanted to confirm things and make sure he wasn't over-thinking about this stuff. He called out to the blond. "Slaine?"

"Mhm?" He responded, his eyes closed, his head still on the table.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, I just feel kinda sleepy." He opened his eyes and looked at him. "I'm fine." Slaine smiled.

_Is drowsiness a symptom?_

"Do you know where your pendant is?"

"You're the one who told me where it is right? It's with the girl?" The other raised an eyebrow.

"R-Right." Inaho heaved a sigh.

_Well maybe I am the one who's not alright._

_Wait..._

"Oh."

"Come to think of it... I think I dropped it when I ran to save that girl..."

"You mean, you didn't remember that you lost it until now?"

"Oh my god I lost my pendant--"

"What do I do? I lost it!"

He started panicking but it was not like him to react so late. He was too confused for his own good. Inaho hurriedly took his phone from his pocket and typed up 'Opium intake symptoms' in the search bar.

Drowsiness. Slurred speech. Confusion. Loss of appetite.

4 out of the 11 said symptoms.

_This is bad._

"Slaine." Inaho stood up. "Come with me. We're going out."

\--

"I totally didn't sign up for this." Slaine covered his face and refused to look at Inaho the whole time. His nauseous feeling just suddenly dissapeared when the brunet forced him to do something so bizarrely unbelievable.

"It suits you too much." Inaho was obviously distracted. He can't focus on the road while he's driving. How could he?

  
_"Come with me, we're going out."_

_The other lifted his head to look at the brunet. "Wait I should stay here. I can't go out, right?"_

_"No one said that." The eye-patched man placed his hands on the blond's shoulders and pushed him towards a bedroom. Slaine stood up, letting Inaho drag him. He felt too sleepy to even fight back._

_"On one condition though..."_

_Slaine looked at him, confused. "Pardon? What?"_

  
"YOU JERK!" Slaine slammed his fists on the leather covered car seat.

"Now, now. That's not very lady-like now, is it, Slaine?" Inaho smirked. He finally had the chance to look at the blond when the traffic light turned red. He had to borrow Yuki's frilly navy-blue dress that wasn't too short or too long for Slaine. To the brunet's surprise, Slaine had these good amount of curves on his waist up until his bottom so the dress fitted perfectly. Inaho also borrowed a long blonde wig that Yuki had for her school play during her younger years.

_He looks insanely gorgeous in it._

"STOP STARING AT ME FOR GOD'S SAKE!" Slaine made his voice louder, his face red. "Continue driving, the light's green." He toned down his voice and he was obviously embarrassed. The blond knew he shouldn't be complaining because first off, he wasn't supposed to be outside because he's a prisoner but he can't help it. Disguising as a girl is too embarrassing for him.

"You look beautiful."

"Okay now stop it the light's green just drive already."

The brunet chuckled and pressed on the gas and took the steering wheel to the right. As he did, tons of tall buildings silhouetted over them. It's been a while since Slaine actually got to see infrastructures like this. To him, it felt nostalgic. He realized tomorrow will be his last day roaming around like this freely, with Inaho. The blond can't help but look down.

"Do you feel sleepy again?" The brunet seemed more focused on the road now that they arrived in the populated part of the city.

"N-No. I was just thinking of something." Slaine glanced at the window.

"Don't fret. I won't let perverts flip your skirt."

The blond's face was instantly tinted red and he immediately turned his head towards the other just to shout at him. "Look who's talking!!!"

Inaho smiled as they arrived the parking area. "We're here. Don't even dare run away again."

"I know that." Slaine pouted and looked away from him once again.

The brunet went down the car first and opened the door for the other. He reached his hand out for the blond. "I can go down by myself, Inaho."

Inaho raised an eyebrow and just let Slaine step out of the car. He eyed the blond with fascination as he walked towards him. His posture and the way he walked was nothing but flawless. He really acted like a lady. When Slaine got closer, Inaho frowned and sighed.

"Why is my girlfriend way taller than me?" Inaho monotonously joked with a chuckle, gently lifting his right arm to invite the other to lock his hand in it.

Slaine stared at Inaho and sighed. He did what the other gestured to do; he held the brunet's arms while they walked towards the entrance of the mall area.

The blond started to get conscious as they stepped in the crowd. Everyone's eye were on them.

_What if they recognize me?_

_What if the police knew--_

_What do I do?!_

"She looks beautiful!" "She must be a foreigner..." "Look, her boyfriend is also cute!"

Inaho didn't stop from walking. He was already starving and they have to search for Yuki as soon as possible. Slaine's hand locked on his arm was shaking and it was cold. The brunet took the other's hand and entwined his fingers on them.

"Calm down." He looked at the other while squeezing his trembling hand. "It's alright."

The blond frowned but he felt more comfortable as the other's warm fingers embraced his cold ones. "Thank you." He whispered.

\--

"That fits you so well!!!" The brunette grinned, holding on to a lot of frilly dresses over her shoulders. "You look so cute!!!"

Nova was, with no doubt, uncomfortable with what Yuki was doing to her. She never wore such beautiful clothing before but the other seems to be happy with her as a company.

"Big sister, this is too expensive-- I mean, it's not like--"

"No!" Yuki placed her index finger on her mouth as if signaling the kid to hush. "I'll buy that for you as a gift. It's alright, you look really cute in that dress."

"You're too kind..." The green eyed girl looked down and noticed herself in the mirror.

_I look like a different person._

She snorted. _What am I even doing..?_

Nova held that silver necklace on her chest that reminded her of her real objective.

"Just wear that dress as we go to the counter. I'll pay for it as well as with those I've picked a while ago." The brunette smiled widely and noticed that the little girl is spacing out. She looked stupid just talking on her own. "What's wrong?"

She instantly hid whatever it is she held and turned around to face Yuki. "N-No, nothing! I was just wondering why are you so kind to me..." She chuckled and scratched her head.

"Oh," Yuki placed her hands on the kid's shoulders and pushed her gently out of the dressing room. "Because I think you deserve this. Being a street kid must be hard, right? I bet you miss your parents already... Oh, by the way, why don't we call them?"

Nova's smile turned into a frown. "They're dead."

The brunette looked at her and realized how big an idiot she is for saying that. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--"

"It's alright, I'm used to that."

Yuki eyed her with pity. She understood how Nova felt. When she was younger, she was also often asked about that topic and she tends to avoid it by saying that she has her brother and her parents aren't necessary but the truth is, that matter just really hits the most hurtful spot inside her. Yuki didn't want to look weak in front of other people.

"Nova, I'm truly sorry for asking that. I didn't intend to spoil your mood." The brunette took her hand and dragged the little girl on the cashier. Luckily, there wasn't any line waiting for them. "You wanna go grab something to eat? I feel like having ice cream."

Nova looked at her and smiled once more, "Yeah, me too."

\--

_Ahh my feet hurts._

"Inaho where are we going exactly?" Slaine whispered as he let Inaho drag him all around the mall. They've been roaming around for more or less, 40 minutes already and now he feels hungry. "You said they'll be easy to find since there's only one mall in this city!"

"Yeah I said there's one mall but I didn't say that that mall is going to be about the size of my apartment." The brunette sarcastically said. It's true they've been walking around pointlessly but that itself is his point. He needs to break a sweat so that the opium in his system will be reduced, even if it's just a little. "Just follow me."

"I've been following you around!" Slaine sighed out loud and scratched his head. He obviously looks tired already. "Can't we quit walking and just sit down for a while?"

Inaho looked at Slaine and he realized that maybe, it was cruel to drag the other around the wide area in that skirt. _I give up._ "Okay. We shouldn't take long thou--"

The blond was already sitting down on a wooden bench beside an ice cream store with his legs crossed. Seriously.

"I feel so beat..." While he was complaining, the brunet approached him and sat next to him. "Orange, aren't you tired?"

"Looking at you relieves the exhaustion."

"Oh god, stop it." Slaine scowled and looked away. He frowned. Inaho was being weird the whole time. First off, he pointed a gun on Slaine's head, then he got moody over an empty fridge, and now he made the blond wear Yuki's clothing.

_Just what in the world is his problem._

"...I just wanted you to enjoy whatever time you have left, here, outside your jail."

_Is this your definition of having fun?_

"By the way, Inaho..." Slaine eyed him. "Tomorrow's going to be the last day I'm staying outside, right?"

Inaho responded, "Yes it is, sadly."

The blond could feel the other's expression stiffen. It wasn't as if he wasn't used to seeing the other so blank but right now, it felt like a different degree of dark monotony. "I want to go somewhere tomorrow..." Slaine gulped, he knew it would be impossible for him to go out without any disguise but if it's that place then... "If it's alright? If it's not, it's also fine, I understand."

Inaho scratched his head. _He's trying to make me agree by messing up with my conscience, as expected from this bat._ "Okay, it depends where though."

"R-Really??" Slaine looked at the brunet with amusement. "Y-You'll take me there???"

"I said, it depends. It depends whether that place would be safe for you and--"

Inaho paused as he heard a group of people screaming somewhere on the right wing. The piercing sounds of emergency alarms clanged next. He glanced at Slaine who was also distracted by the noises.

"What's going on?" The blond looked around the location. Smoke poured out from one of the stores near them. "Inaho, what's happening?!"

"Calm down." The brunet stood up and grabbed the other's hand. "Let's go--"

Something smashed behind him. A large steel pipe. The force was enough to make Inaho fall flat on the tiled floor without even having the chance to put up a fight. Slaine was too shocked to even react. He trembled as he saw the brunet unmoving beside his feet.

The smoke went thicker and thicker. He could barely see the surroundings but he saw a man with a muscular body build carrying a familiar figure of a woman on his right shoulder. "I thought we were after that man? Why is that a girl?" He said.

Behind him spawned a recognizable voice. "Yeah that's him." She stepped towards Slaine to show herself. "It's nice to see you, big brother."

_Nova._

_It's getting hard to breathe..._

The next thing Slaine knew was nothing but black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed writing Slaine getting so flustered about wearing Yuki's dress. He's so cute in my head-//slapped  
> And I feel bad for slamming Inaho's head, really. Im sorry;;;  
> I wish I didn't bore you out with this, thanks for reading!
> 
> xoxo,  
> theworldstoodstill


	5. A Perplexing Piece

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All he remembers was how the brunet collapsed on the ground after someone slammed his head with a pipe; Slaine Troyard wakes up in a cell but everything that happens after that was too strange for him to even comprehend.

Wind blows in a night filled with the feeling of victory and emptiness; the night was dull and cold. He went on top of the ship just to see the dark sky. The brunet merely wanted to look up and stare at the stars even though looking at it makes him feel nothing but yearning.

Inaho wasn't sure if it was because he knew that that Seylum appearing in the public isn't really her and she must be hidden somewhere but...

His gaze turned as the stars started moving--

Those aren't stars...

He used the implanted machine in his eye and zoomed in on the sky.

There were Kataphrakts fighting: a red one and...

_Slaine Troyard_

"Inaho?" A familiar voice rang. It was Inko.

"They're fighting..." He didn't look away from the stars.

The girl stared at him and then glanced up the sky. "What? Where?"

"Slaine Troyard..." Inaho whispered as he saw his breath come out from his mouth.

"What?"

"Nevermind."

\--

"Are you having fun?"

He blew open his eyes as he heard the familiar voice. His head hurts so much he can't bear it. It somewhat affected his eyesight and he can't see anything but blur. This is bad. He can't even move. He knew he was tied up: his hands were clasped together as well as his feet. He was just grateful that his mouth wasn't closed shut.

"What is happening?" He frowned, trying to stay calm.

"Big brother..." She laughed and moved her fingers on the brunet's cheek.

"Nova how can you--"

_Slap._

"Shut up, Kaizuka Inaho." Nova looked at her fingers as it turned red. Inaho's cheek did as well. It felt good. "I just got tired of playing house... I guess?"

The brunet's vision went dimmer, his head hurt more than a while ago. "You brat."

"I know that already, geez!" The girl laughed as she walked around where Inaho was sitting at. She patted the other's head but he shook her hand off. "Oh my, how rude."

Inaho was tired of hearing the girl talking. He wanted to get out of the room and see if the blond is alright. As of the moment, he can't do anything. He was like a useless, dysfunctional machine. He can't see anything and he can't move. All he could do was talk.

"Where is Slaine?" He glared at her blurred image with all his might. This is the only thing he could do as of the moment. "Where did you take him?"

"Big brother..." She smirked and sat down on the floor in front of the brunet. "I killed him already!" Nova snorted and laughed loudly.

Inaho didn't respond and smiled instead. The brunet knew she was lying but of course, he can't be sure. Why would she do all of this?

"Why are you smiling?" She raised an eyebrow.

"How can a brat like you do something like that? That's impossible."

"But I just did?"

"You didn't."

The girl frowned and bit her lip. She shouted and ordered several people to remove his binds. When it got off, Nova grabbed him by the hair and dragged him somewhere else. Inaho was free but he can't fight back. It was as if his skull was being violently pulled out from his flesh; he can't take this kind of pain.

"W-Where are you taking me?" His breathing was getting ragged and he felt his body trembling all over. He recalled what Nova said: she killed him. What if they're going to where Slaine was..? What if he was really...

\--

"Hey wake up!" She kept kicking the other because they were too far apart and only her feet could reach towards him. "Slaine! Wake up!"

The other gasped as his eyes flew open. "Y-Yuki?!" He turned around and looked at the place. There were steel bars between them two and it was a wide place. "Why is your foot on my stomach?"

"I was trying to wake you up! Seriously?" Yuki blushed, pulled her leg away and sat properly. "Where are we?"

"I have no idea!" The blond breathed and tried to calm down. He remembered seeing Inaho fall flat on the floor when the man he saw before strike his head with a pipe. "Inaho..." His eyes widen in shock as the vivid realization took place.

"Where is Inaho?!" He shouted.

Yuki was taken aback by Slaine's reaction. "Is Inaho with you?"

"Yeah? You think I'll just leave on my own? I can't do that!" Slaine sarcastically talked back to her.

The brunette looked at him with awe.

He realized that it was so rude to shout at someone especially if it's with Inaho's sister... "I-I'm sorry..."

"N-No it's... alright." She looked away and faced the iron bars instead of the blond. "I hope he's safe..."

Slaine frowned. He doesn't have any idea as to what he was going to do from this point on. Inaho wasn't there and Yuki was also dragged in this trouble... It was all because of him.

He scratched his head and grunted. He turned at his right and looked at Yuki. To his surprise, she was staring at him.

"Y-Yuki?"

"You know..." The brunette said without blinking. "That's my dress..."

It felt like his nerves bursted out loud. His face felt hot and he can't stop looking back at Yuki to prove how guilty he is as of the moment. "I... I'm terribly so--"

"You look beautiful in that, what the hell?!" Yuki suddenly bursted out screaming. "Oh my god, you're a guy and yet... How is this world so unfair?" She scratched her head as she screamed.

Wait are girls really like this? I mean... Inaho might be in serious trouble right now and she's thinking about the dress?! What?!

"Y-Yuki..." Slaine gulped, all of his embarrasment were long gone after he thought of how Inaho might be. "Inaho is..."

"He's fine."

Slaine's orbs widen. "What?"

"I know he's fine." Yuki looked down and smiled. "Believe in him."

"But--"

"Just calm down, Slaine and trust Nao." Yuki looked at him with eager eyes.

He was so confused and puzzled but somehow, her words rang like a good omen. Slaine was worried to death and yet Inaho's sister just sat there, smiling as if nothing was going to happen to him.

_If she only knew what happened to Inaho back at the mall then she'd probably..._

\--

"Carry him back on the car." Nova walked towards the exit of the hallway. Inaho was now unconscious. He collapsed as she dragged him towards the exit a little while ago. Nova concluded that it might be because his eye hurt so much he wasn't able to take the pressure in his head so he fainted.

The girl opened the car's door as her comrades placed Inaho inside his armored vehicle. He wasn't restrained anymore.

The green-eyed girl looked at the brunet and took his eye patch out. She stared at him for a while and placed the cover back. "You had to go through all that. I'm sorry, big brother." She pat his head and brushed his brown hair.

"Is Sir safe?" A lady stepped out of her car towards the venue where Nova is. "Is he alright?"

The girl went down the steps and greeted the lady, "Hey, Claire. It's been a while."

"Nova?" Claire looked at her, dumbfounded. "You're still so short."

"What?!" The girl lost her temper and shouted. She knew the lady warden from the past. They never got along but she was a great company. Nova looked at Claire. They haven't met for a while. "Well, you've changed a bit, I guess."

"Did I become prettier?" Claire laughed out loud and played with her red locks as if to tease the other.

"No you became worst. I take back what I said." The oak-haired girl turned her back and walked towards the entrance of the abandoned warehouse.

"Hey." Claire followed her and sighed. "Sir Kaizuka will be alright, right?"

"Yeah."

"Sometimes I don't get how UFE works. Why would they go as far as having you hurt Kaizuka for a--"

Nova stopped walking and Claire almost bumped on her.

"Keep your mouth shut."

\--

"You're free to go." The big, muscled assistant of Nova that Slaine saw back in the mall unlocked his cell as well as Yuki's. He remembered that he was also the one who beat him up before when he saved that girl.

"Where is Inaho?" Slaine stood up and walked out of his jail.

"A thank you would be enough, Sir Troyard." The man talked.

Slaine gasped when he heard the other say his last name and stepped back towards Yuki. "How did you even--"

"Everyone knows about you, Sir."

"Right. Thanks for taking off the locks." Yuki smiled at him and she let the man lead them towards the path. The place was dark and everything was empty. It looked like a metal scrap warehouse and it reeked of rust.

"Should we even trust him, Yuki?" The blond frowned as he whispered at the brunette. "I don't think he's worthy of our trust, Yuki. What will happen if he does us harm? What about Inaho? He didn't even answer my question about him!"

"You're starting to sound like a girl, Slaine. It doesn't mean you're wearing girly clothes you'll act like some damsel in distress." She sighed and tapped his shoulder.

_Great. She's so like Inaho. They're really siblings. They both like to put me in vain._

He sighed and gave up. It's as if whatever he said didn't matter so he stopped from talking. He's going to get ignored anyway.

"This is the way out, Miss Kaizuka." The tall man pulled the exit door and bowed as they passed by towards it.

 _The fuck is going on?!_ Slaine's mind went into a rampage. He was never confused like this even way back then in Vers, he never encountered something so odd and so... unknown. It was too horrible for him.

"Thanks, again." Yuki stepped outside and smiled as she grabbed Slaine's arm. "Come on. Let's go to where Inaho is." The blond was practically dragged out of the warehouse up until the parking side. In there was one car, a familiar one.

It was Inaho's.

Azure orbs in shock, he stared at the vehicle for a moment.

_Inaho..?_

He ran towards it and saw the brunet's silhouette in the front seat. Slaine gasped and his knees shook. _Inaho is alright._ He wanted to cry but he held his tears back and faced Yuki. When he did, he saw the brunette with Nova and... the lady who is in charge of his jail keys: Claire.

"W-What is going on?"

Yuki sighed and looked at her two comrades. "Slaine, take Inaho away from here." She held a stern tone.

"I don't understand--" The blond scratched his head and frowned. "I'm being ignored the whole time we are here! What is going on? Please, explain everything to me."

Nova was hiding at Yuki's back the whole time. "Slaine Troyard. Do you really need any explanation? Big brother's safe already and--"

"You..." Slaine glanced at the girl. He can't force himself to just forget about how Nova suddenly appeared at the mall and her assistant slammed Inaho in the head with a steel pipe.

Nova didn't look at him the whole time and just stared at the opposite side emptily. "Why isn't anyone blaming the UFE? Why is it just _me_?"

"Because if you didn't agree, this wouldn't have happened." Claire pulled Nova's ear, enough to turn her head around towards Slaine who had a canvas painted with rage on his face.

The blond sighed. He kept his temper. "What's with the UFE?"

Yuki sighed. "Slaine, actually, the UFE is after you."

"What?" His expression softened with confusion. "I-I don't get it."

"You do know that if you weren't in prison you should've died already, right? If it weren't for Nao and the Princes-- I mean the Empress, you wouldn't be alive."

"I know that already. But, does this mean that the UFE..."

The brunette bit her lip and looked down. "Yeah. Some UFE members already knew that you still exist. The initial plan was to leave you alone in that prison and bomb it." She sighed and stared at Slaine. "Inaho didn't let this happen so..."

_What? Wait, so..._

"So... me going out of prison was just a--"

"It was nothing but a big lie." Claire looked at Slaine and smiled. "Sir Kaizuka had this plan on mind ever since you recovered from depression under his care. He kept saying that you were delusional and your mental state wasn't good to get them distracted. They didn't want to expose themselves yet so they let you have the treatment."

_I had daily check ups but I never took any anti-depressants... they never gave me those--_

_Inaho faked all that so I could escape?!_

"Wait, why did Nova have to do that?" He went back to frowning. "Why did you have to act like that towards Inaho?"

Yuki looked at Nova, faced the blond, and continued talking. "Those who were so against Vers creating its empire here in Earth had to find a way to eliminate any Martian threat. You being earth-born made you even more dangerous because you are aware of how this world works. When word spread about you, they asked Nova's group to eliminate you."

Nova glared at Slaine. "I can't believe you. I treated big Brother with care, and you're blaming me? You're the one I hate, not him."

"Then why didn't you hurt me instead?" Slaine rolled his hands into fists. It was too late but he realized why this girl was so familiar to him.

That day when he went down on Earth secretly with Harklight to find where exactly the location of the UFE Deucalion is, there was a certain Kataphrakt that found them wandering around the area. They immediately assaulted the Tharsis and thus, he ended up decapitating the Kataphrakt and shooting the people inside it: a man and a woman. That time, it wasn't clear to him as to why he had to kill the pilots but probably, it was out of fear to be found out so he kept their mouths shut.

He didn't pay any attention that time but he was certain that he heard someone crying somewhere inside the Kataphrakt. It was a voice of a little girl.

"Nova." He said, looking down. "I..."

"You finally noticed? How hard-headed can you get?" She sighed and scratched her head. "Don't apologize for killing them. It won't revive the dead."

_Your sorry can't heal Inaho's eye._

_Your sorry won't revive the dead._

Claire approached the blond to give his cheek a pinch. "Take care of Sir Kaizuka for Yuki. She's the one who's greatly against this idea of you running away with Sir. She cried so many times over the phone plus, she drank for almost a whole week just to get over this matter."

_Am I even worthy of being with Inaho..?_

_I'm a murderer. I'm no good. Why..?_

"Take care now." Claire took the keys from her pocket and handed it to Slaine.

He looked towards the direction of the three women. Yuki nodded towards him and he noticed tears on her eyes. The blond stepped up the driver's seat and turned on the car. He glanced at Inaho who was sleeping so tightly.

_What can you get from saving a murderer?_

_Why did you have to choose someone like me?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh-- this story is about to end and I feel so fulfilled. We have another chapter to come (probably the last one) and it's kinda sad to end a series especially if you get attached to everything. I didn't like how I confused myself in this chapter (tell the truth this chapter's a MESS) but i do hope you enjoyed every bit of my writing. See you in the last(?) chapter!
> 
> xoxo,  
> theworldstoodstill

**Author's Note:**

> It's my first time here in AO3. I hope you'd enjoy my works.  
> I had to ask help from a great friend of mine, KeiC, to make sure Inaho is in his place and he won't get too OOC.  
> I had a hard time to make sure Inaho is Inaho. Though Slaine wasn't a problem at all.  
> I included two original characters. Pardon me for that.
> 
> Once again, I hope you enjoy and look forward to the next parts.
> 
> xoxo,  
> theworldstoodstill


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